FOR all the hype, the opening ceremony of the third Indian Premier League was quite flat. There was no strong theme to the function and the performances were dished out in a haphazard manner.

Nothing to croon about at opening ceremony

FOR all the hype, the opening ceremony of the third Indian Premier League was quite flat. There was no strong theme to the function and the performances were dished out in a haphazard manner.

In spite of some of the biggest names in the music world taking the stage, they could not win over the crowds.

There was a white screen where they tried to project the IPL history but it was as hazy as the IPL itself. The volunteers couldn't balance the inflatable balloon pillars with the team logos and they kept falling.

Also, the choice of the ending performance was also random with Lionel Richie singing his old hit 'Dancing on the Ceiling'.

Maybe, 'Tonight's going to be a good night' on which Deepika Padukone performed, would have been a better finish.

Yeh corporate box kidhar hai?

ALL captains of the IPL teams were brought to the stadium in a convoy of private cars. But, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly chose to travel with his team in the bus.

Even, his wife Dona and daughter Sana had to travel to the venue on their own. Dona was a bit lost while locating the corporate box.
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And, immediately after alighting from the private car, she was seen making enquires with security personnel and volunteers about the way to her seat.

Big treat for Tripura boys

RENOWNED educationist Dr D Y Patil, who is serving as the governor of Tripura got his state's entire under-16 cricket team to his Nerul sports complex for the Indian Premier League opener.
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The team has been here for a week and were seated in the stands yesterday to watch the opening ceremony and the Deccan Chargers versus Kolkata Knight Riders game.
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"Sir felt that the young players from Tripura have limited opportunities to watch international cricketers in action. So, he arranged the under-16 boys to be brought to sports complex.
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They were practicing at our ground and will be going back tomorrow," informed a senior coach at the DY Patil Academy.