IPL 2018: Opening Ceremony Date, Start Time, Live Stream and Cricket Preview

The 2018 Indian Premier League season will kick off on April 7, with an opening ceremony preceding the contest between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.

According to the Indian Express, a host of Bollywood stars are set to participate in the ceremony, including Parineeti Chopra, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez. Per the report, the ceremony should take about 90 minutes and end shortly before the toss.

Unlike previous years, not all captains for the teams will be present, as the ceremony has been pushed to just before the opener. Instead, only M.S. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma will be at the Wankhede, while the other IPL teams prepare for their campaigns.

Date: Saturday, April 7

Time: The first match is scheduled for 8 p.m. IST (3:30 p.m. BST). The ceremony will take place before then.

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

TV Info: Sky Sports Cricket (U.K.)

Live Stream: Sky Go (U.K.)

Familiar Faces

The 2018 IPL season will see the return of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two of the competition's most popular teams. Both were suspended for the past two seasons but are now back and looking to reclaim the Indian Premier League crown.

Super Kings have put together a fine side for their first year back, including stars Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja. In Dhoni, they have one of the best wicketkeepers in the world, and a strong veteran presence.

Cricbuzz's Harsha Bhogle is impressed with the team:

Unfortunately for the Super Kings, their first challenge in this year's IPL will be a tough one.

The Defending Champions

With three IPL titles―including two of the last three editions―there's no doubting who the giants of the competition are. Mumbai Indians return a strong team for the 2018 tournament, led by captain Sharma, one of the best players in the world.

The team's core is still intact, with Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya all in the fold. They also added exciting Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Tsering Topgyal/Associated Press

Indians are top-heavy, but their big stars carried them to the title last year, so it's an approach that can work. The team doesn't have a lot of quality Indian pace bowlers and lacks an elite finisher, but their raw firepower should make up for some of the balance issues.

In front of a loud crowd at the Wankhede and facing the returning Super Kings in the opener, the energy should give Mumbai a significant boost. These two teams could meet in the final, and fans should be in for a spectacle, on top of a great opening ceremony.