The heavy cocktail of cricket and entertainment started with the singers and Bollywood actors entertaining the packed stadium where defending champions Gujarat Titans take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening encounter.
Megastars MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been the IPL’s driving force in the past 15 seasons, getting the cricket-crazy Indian fans hooked on the event for nearly two months every year.
As it enters the 16th season, innovations are introduced in the form of potential game changers like the ‘Impact Player’ rule, DRS on wides and waist-high no balls. The tournament is now being telecasted by two broadcasting giants on TV and Digital platforms.
The IPL 2023 will serve all ingredients for the mouth-watering dish, which will be devoured by millions of cricket fans across the globe for more than 50 days.
However, the product will remain the driving force and players the main stakeholders, as the likes of Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit set the narratives for their respective franchises with amazing fan bases.
Before the start of the IPL 2023 opening game, there was suspense over the availability of CSK captain MS Dhoni as he suffered a niggle during a practice session in Chennai.
Here are the live updates from the IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony and the GT vs CSK match:
08:35 PM
CSK reach 93 for 3 in 10 overs
CSK have lost three key wickets in the first 10 overs but they’ve scored runs at a decent pace. Ruturaj Gaikwad has notched up a fine half-century and has been the aggressor for the Super Kings after they were put in to bat first.
08:28 PM
Fifty for Ruturaj Gaikwad
Half-Century! The first fifty of the IPL 2023 comes from the blade of CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. He took just 23 balls.
08:25 PM
Stokes departs cheaply on CSK debut
Wicket! Rashid Khan is on a roll tonight he gets the big fish in Ben Stokes. Stokes is dismissed for 7. CSK are 72 for the loss of 3 wickets in 8 overs.
08:06 PM
Rashid Khan strikes!
The Afghanistan spin sensation strikes in his first over as he gets dangerous-looking Moeen Ali caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha for 23 off 17. Good catch from Saha. Ali was given LBW a couple of balls ago, DRS saved him but not this time. CSK – 51/2 after 6 overs.
08:01 PM
Moeen Ali joins the party!
Shami bowls the fifth over for Gujarat Titans and Moeen Ali takes on the offensive against the senior bowler. Ali smashed one six and a couple of boundaries in that over as 17 came off it. CSK – 46/1 after 5 overs.
07:46 PM
Shami strikes early
Mohammed Shami is on the money as he clean bowls Devon Conway with a beauty. 100th IPL wicket for the Indian pacer and Chennai Super Kings have lost their first wicket on the second ball of the third over. Conway departs for 1 and CSK – 14/1 in 2.2 overs.
07:33 PM
IPL 2023 GT vs CSK Substitutes
Chennai Super Kings: Tushar Deshpande, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, Nishant Sindhu.
Gujarat Titans: B Sai Sudharsan, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Abhinav Manohar, KS Bharat
07:30 PM
Gujarat Titans Playing 11
Gill, Saha, Williamson, Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Tewatia, Rashid, Shami, Josh Little, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph
07:27 PM
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI
Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangargekar
07:23 PM
Hardik Pandya after toss
We’ll bowl first. It’s always good to play here. New start, new season, quite exciting. Almost everyone in the country has got motivation from him (Dhoni). Been a fan and admirer of him. Want boys to enjoy it. Result will take care of itself. It’s different – I’ve left it in the coach. Ashu pa works all night on what needs to be done. I don’t know (combination for today).
07:19 PM
MS Dhoni on his team’s preparations
MS Dhoni: We’re also looking to bowl. Looks like a good wicket and I don’t think it will change. Don’t know if there will be dew because it rained last night. You want to play in front of people. This stadium is twice the capacity of other stadiums. Fantastic atmosphere. The preparation was good. We assembled quite early. It’s a luxury to have (impact player). It becomes slightly easy to take the decision because you can use it at any time. The influence of all-rounder has become slightly less because of the rule.
07:15 PM
GT vs CSK IPL 2023 Toss
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has won the toss and has elected to bowl in the first match of the tournament.
07:11 PM
MS Dhoni enters in stadium
Super King MS Dhoni has a grand entry at the stadium during the opening ceremony at Motera.
06:59 PM
MS Dhoni watches opening ceremony
Former India cricketer and the current captain of Chennai Super Kings MS Dhoni is watching the Opening Ceremony from the dug out. He’ll soon join Hardik Pandya at the stage.
06:56 PM
Rashmika Mandhana performs at IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony
National sensation Rashmika Mandhana is the third celebrity to perform at the Motera. Mandhana performs on several hit songs from the South film industry.
06:53 PM
Tamannah Bhatia
Actor Tamannah Bhatiya begins dance performance at the Narendra Modi Stadium and entertains the fans.
06:47 PM
Huge Crowd In Attendance For IPL 2023 Opening Game
A big crowd has arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium to watch the opening ceremony and the opening match between GT and CSK.
#IPL2023OpeningCeremony #GTvCSK
The craze for IPL is unmatchable.dream for tinpot PSLpic.twitter.com/Wv13UM3JoA— ????⭐???? (@superking1815) March 31, 2023
06:43 PM
IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony Starts
Bollywood playback singer Arijit Singh has kicked off the IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony with his smash hits and soulful renditions of popular Hindi movies.
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