Howzzat! Stars sizzle at IPL 5 opening ceremony

A few high-octane and well choreographed performances by Bollywood personalities and international celebrity set the tone for the 54-day extravanganza involving nine teams and hundreds of thousands of fans in the cricket-crazy nation.

Leading Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and actors Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor apart from American pop star Katy Perry, performed at Tuesday's Indian Premier League (IPL) gala opening.

IPL organizers have spent big on the opening ceremony for the upcoming season, hoping fans will regard the return of the rich Twenty20 series as a welcome distraction from the struggles of the national team rather than a reminder of them, reports Associated Press.

Amitabh Bachchan flagged off the evnening by reciting poems at the star-studded opening ceremony of the IPL 5 at the YMCA ground in Chennai. Amitabh lent his baritone voice to 'If I were to be born again', written by Prasoon Joshi. His recital was accompanied by a dance performance choreographed by Shiamak Davar.

Salman Khan debuted at IPL 5 and grooved to his hit numbers even as Kolkata Knight Riders' owner Shah Rukh Khan was conspicuous by his absence.

Chammak Challo actress Kareena Kapoor entralled the audience with her performance. Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was quoted saying by the Indian media that Kareena's performance was the best of the night.

Earlier in the evening, Priyanka Chopra tried to make veteran Indian cricketers such as Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid shake a leg with her, but to no avail. Bhajji didn't let go of an opportunity to gyrate with PC.

Priyanka was not so successful in making the members of Chennai Super Kings imitate her 'jhatkas' on stage, though she did try her best.

The evening's last performance was by Katy Perry. Though this was her maiden performance in India, the singer left the audience asking for more as she belted out hit numbers such as 'Fireworks' and 'California Girls'.

"A performer of her (Perry's) caliber makes the occasion even more special for the IPL family - players, organisers and fans,'' IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said in a statement. ``The verve and originality of her music matches that of the competition.''

With the opening ceremony over, both players and fans can now look forward to Wednesday's season-opener which will bring together the two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings against Mumbai Indians in Chennai.

The fifth edition comprising nine city-based franchises will feature 76 matches and will run till May 27.

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