IPL 2017: Opening Ceremony Date, Start Time, Live Stream and Cricket Preview
The 2017 Indian Premier League, the 10th edition of the popular Twenty20 cricket competition, will begin with its first opening ceremony and the opening match in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Local favourites Sunrisers will play hosts to Royal Challengers Bangalore following what is expected to be a spectacular show, the first of eight in total.
Every city hosting the IPL this year―Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Pune and Rajkot―will receive its own ceremony to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the competition.
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Things kick off on Wednesday, but due to the eight total shows, little is known about each individual performance.
Per Broken Cricket, it is certain some of India's top cricket players of the past will be highlighted:
Here's a look at what we know about the show in Hyderabad:
Date: Wednesday, April 5
Time: Broadcast starts at 2:30 p.m. BST
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman are certain to make an appearance in Hyderabad on Wednesday ahead of the IPL opener, but other than that, little is known about what to expect.
Speculation has been rife, with Avinash Lohana and Natasha Coutinho of the Mumbai Mirror (for the Times of India) reporting Shraddha Kapoor and Tiger Shroff will perform, but not in Hyderabad.
Bollywood news and gossip website Pinkvilla joined in on the speculating, suggesting popular Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan could perform as well:
What is known is that last year's IPL finalists, the defending champions Sunrisers and Royal Challengers, are expected to put on a show of their own.
Bangalore have some injury concerns entering the match, as ESPN Cricinfo's Arun Venugopal reported KL Rahul has been ruled out for the IPL with an injury. But even without the 24-year-old, Royal Challengers pack a remarkable punch with the bat.
Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson form the core of a lethal lineup that can score runs in bunches, and last year, the team gave watching fans a treat. Kohli is a doubt for Wednesday, as he enters the tournament while recovering from a shoulder injury, but once he's at full strength, Bangalore should be scary.
As shared by the team's official Twitter account, he and Gayle have plenty of history in the IPL:
Per ESPN Cricinfo, coach Daniel Vettori already has a plan ready in case Kohli can't play:
"He [Kohli] will come in on April 2. Between now and then, the BCCI doctors and physio will speak to us (on his condition) and our medical staff will get a clearer picture. Right now, we don't have a clear picture on his availability. We'll know in the next few days.
The likely scenario is that de Villiers will take over the duties but we'll answer that once we find out if Virat is out.
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David Warner will lead Sunrisers, who did plenty of damage with the ball last year on their way to the title, but the team have some talented batsmen as well. Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques and Shikhar Dhawan are all in the squad.
Most of the attention will go to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman, however, with the latter tasked with replacing Trent Boult, who now plays for Kolkata Knight Riders.
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