The Pepsi IPL 2013 opening ceremony, to be held at 7:30 pm on April 2, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, one of the biggest football arenas in Asia, will feature flying drummers, Chinese percussionists, awesome fireworks, and some of the biggest film-stars in the country, including Shah Rukh Khan.

The Pepsi IPL 2013, the sixth season of what has been a phenomenon, will be played across the country, from 3 April 2013 to 26 May 2013.

The first match of the tournament, to be played between Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, and Delhi Daredevils, at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Wednesday, (April 3) will be preceded by the grandest sporting celebration that India has ever seen.

The king of Bollywood and co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders will be performing at the opening ceremony, alongside his Jab Tak Hai Jaan co- star Katrina Kaif, who will be performing in Kolkata for the first time.

If that is not enough, then the organizers, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd has roped in Pitbull, the International rapper.


`SRK loves the city of joy and he is already very excited to perform there. Katrina will be performing there for the first time. When Pitbull was told that he is being invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the Pepsi IPL 2013, and SRK would also be performing as well, he agreed to come within minutes, ` says a source.

`The Opening Ceremony of the Pepsi IPL 2013 will be as outstanding as the cricket that we will witness over the subsequent seven weeks. We are in for a spectacular commencement to what promises to be a memorable tournament, ` Rajeev Shukla, Chairman, IPL, said.

The IPL has gone from strength to strength since its inaugural season in 2008. It has witnessed some absorbing cricket, tremendous support from the fans, and of course, four different winners in five seasons.

This is of course, an indication of the quality of cricket produced by the participating teams. Rajasthan Royals were the first champions, in 2008. Deccan Chargers won the title in 2009, when the tournament was played in South Africa. Chennai Super Kings triumphed in 2010 and 2011, and Kolkata Knight Riders scaled the summit in 2012.

The sixth season, due to begin at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on April 3 promises to be no different. Nine teams will battle it out in a total of 76 matches, over a period of seven weeks, and the one team that wins the contest will be crowned the Pepsi IPL 2013 champion, at the end of the final on Sunday, 26 May 2013, again at the Eden Gardens.