The 10th edition of the Indian Premier League shall see 8 separate opening ceremonies at the home grounds of the 8 franchises.

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League is as much about the cricketing action on the field as it is a carnival for the fans. The euphoria that lasts for close to one and-a-half month starts with the gala opening ceremony at the venue of the opening game. But the 10th edition of the IPL shall see 8 separate opening ceremonies at the home grounds of the 8 franchises.

Speaking to CricketNext, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said that a unanimous decision was taken by the members of the governing council to give fans from all the host cities a taste of the gala opening ceremony.

“It would be unfair to say it was my idea. All the members sat together and decided to have separate opening ceremonies across all the host cities to give the fans an opportunity to witness the opening of the 10th edition of the IPL live.

“The various segments of the ceremony will be on our culture, the culture and tradition of the host cities as also highlighting the high points from the last nine editions of the tournament. We will also have performances from Bollywood stars, spirit of cricket signing etc,” he said.

Pundits have often said that the IPL has lost its charm due to the controversies that have surrounded the cash-rich league. But the Shukla begs to disagree.

“We had around 396 million in viewership in India alone in the ninth edition, leaving the rest of the world aside. The viewership was around 190 million in season eighth, so it is a clear success story,” he said.

Going back to last season, Shukla spoke about how it was India skipper Virat Kohli’s tournament and the perfect platform for young cricketers like Yuzvendra Chahal and Mustafizur Rahman.

“Virat was just phenomenal. Last year’s tournament will stay in the hearts of the fans due to him. In fact, there were youngsters as well like Mustafizur, Chahal, Ben Cutting and Adam Zampa who impressed all with their talents,” he recollected.

The last season of the IPL also saw the domestic T20 league make its debut in Kanpur, Shukla’s own state association, and the chairman is very happy with the show put on.

“The IPL came to Uttar Pradesh for the first time when Kanpur hosted Gujarat Lions. They did a great job. It isn’t easy, but they were up for the challenge. I wish to make the tournament bigger and better this season,” he signed off.