Pics: Hanif Sindhi
The evening opened to a full house!!! An estimated 1.5 lakh people are currently breathing that frenzied air at NaMo Stadium in Motera.
The MC for the evening, Ravi Shastri, while welcoming the spectators, thanked fans for supporting the IPL and making it “bigger and better” with each passing year. “Let the emotions of the past sink in,”as he put it. He also announced that IPL has created a world record for the biggest “T-shirt,” an official arrives on stage to present an official certificate to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and general secretary Jay Shah.
Barely minutes later, firecracker Ranveer Singh enters and the audience is enthralled!! Dressed in his usual flashy gear, he laps the ground holding the IPL flag in his hand with ‘Jeetega Jeetega India Jeetega blaring in the background. It’s a song from his movie 1983 which was based on India’s historic ODI World Cup win.
Thereon, it was paisa vasool time for audience. The actor was a burst of emotion as he danced to his popular Bollywood songs –Loot Gaya followed by Tattad Tattad and the all-time hit, Tune Maari Entriyaan
With A.R. Rahman, the show took on a sober do. He was joined by a host of singers – Mohit Chouhan, Neeti Mohan, Blaaze, Sivamani, Sasha Tripathi and Shweta Mohan. The stadium reverberated to the tunes of Ma Tujhe Salam while the tricolour was the reigning dot all over.
A song sequence dedicated to each era was played. From the 1970s, it was the iconic Muqabla. For 1980s, it was Chale Chalo from Lagaan.
The spectacular chhau dancers showcased their regional flavour in a riot of colours.
Also Read: Music Legend AR Rahman Performs At IPL 2022 Closing Ceremony
