BCCI to Celebrate IPL’s 18th Edition with Opening Ceremonies at All Venues

The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off on Saturday (March 22) in Kolkata with a clash between the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This match brings back memories of the first-ever IPL game played on April 18, 2008, will take place at Eden Gardens.

Before the IPL 2025 opener, it is reported that to celebrate 18 years of the league, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to organize special opening ceremonies at all 13 venues this season.

Grand Opening Ceremony and Season-Long Festivities Planned for IPL 2025

According to a report in Sportstar on Tuesday (March 18), which cited a source stating, “The festivities will commence with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring Bollywood icons and renowned musicians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22. The celebratory spirit will persist throughout the season, with each venue launching its first match with a cultural showcase featuring distinguished artists."

“We aimed to bring more vibrancy to the tournament so that fans at every venue can experience the essence of the opening ceremony. For the cultural performances at each location, we are working on curating a lineup of national and regional artists," a well-informed source told Sportstar.

Singer Shreya Ghoshal and Bollywood actress Disha Patani are set to perform at the opening ceremony in Kolkata on Saturday, which will also be graced by ICC chairman Jay Shah. According to available information, the BCCI is currently in the ‘final stages of discussions’ with a few other renowned artists for the remaining 12 events.

“The plan is to feature a diverse lineup of Bollywood artists for all the events, and given the limited time between innings, two to three performers could be accommodated for these shows. Since this is being organized on such a large scale for the first time, there are some logistical challenges as well. Therefore, the BCCI and State associations are collaborating closely to ensure the events run seamlessly without disrupting the matches," the source said.