Bollywood legend and mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan will host the opening ceremony of the fifth season of Indian Premier League (IPL) in Chennai on April 3. The 69-year-old, who has taken a break to recover from two abdominal surgeries last month, is preparing for the event. "April 3rd is the day for the opening. Preparing for it already. Getting back into the grind," tweeted the actor.
"Asia Cup over soon and then IPL... opening extravaganza in Chennai... and yours truly a small part of it... nervous as hell!! April 3rd is the day for the opening... preparing for it already, getting back into the grind. "Meeting all the Captains and teams will be such an honour. Seen all of them on Tv, now personally," the actor posted on his Twitter page.
The actor, known for his deep, baritone voice, had hosted four seasons of game show "Kaun Banega Crorepati" and also the third season of the reality show "Bigg Boss". Bollywood stars Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan will also be a part of the opening ceremony to be held at YMCA College of Physical Education on April 3.
Apart from Bollywood stars, the 'Opening Nite' will also feature performance from a leading international artist, an IPL release stated. The event will also feature all nine team captains taking the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge, which has been on display since the competition's inception in 2008.
"With four highly successful seasons behind us, we hope to raise the standards of the competition even higher, as we look forward to celebrating DLF IPL 2012 with much fanfare, starting with Opening Nite," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said in the statement.
"We want to thank all the supporters for their continued support as they have made the league what it is today. We are proud to boast a line-up of big names to kick start the 2012 season in style," he added. The opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 pm, however, the venue gates will be thrown open to the audience from 5:00 pm. The sale of the tickets, pegged at a starting price of Rs 1,500, would be on sale from March 16, the release added.
