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29 March 2024

IPL 7 UAE: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika practise till 3am before opening gala

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone pose for pictures on the red carpet at a promotional event for the Hindi film Chennai Express in Feltham, west London. (AFP)

Published
By Ajanta Paul

When Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan took the centre stage at last night's IPL 7 gala dinner all expected fireworks.

And guess who joined Badshah Khan on stage - the reigning queen Deepika Padukone.

Click to read: Shah Rukh, Deepika perform in the Opening Ceremony

Both the stars had been practising hard and burning their midnight oil in Abu Dhabi.

Deepika and Shah Rukh were spotted rehearsing at 3am in the morning for the opening gala dinner of the seventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Emirates Palace hosted the gala dinner (by invitation only on April 15 which was attended by VIPs, dignitaries and top international cricketers along with the eight IPL team members.

Earlier, reliable source from SRK's team informed Emirates24|7 that the actor was to perform to a medley of his recent hit songs.

Talking to Emirates24|7 the source said, "They reached Abu Dhabi yesterday and since then they have been practising their dance moves."

"He will be seen grooving to some of the famous numbers from his movie 'Don' and also 'Lungi Dance' from 'Chennai Express' and Chammak Challo from 'RA.One'," the source continued.

Shah Rukh will attend the Kolkata Knight Rider's opening match on April 16 and leave for Mumbai the next day.

The flavour of the season and SRK's favorite Deepika will also perform to some of her famous movie songs.

IPL 2014: Full schedule and updated ticket availability: Click here

Deepika was also part of the opening ceremony in 2013 in Kolkata.

Also expected to join the two stars will be KKR co-owner Juhi Chawla, Rajasthan Royal's co-owner Shilpa Shetty and Kings XI Punjab's co-owner Preity Zinta.
 
This will no doubt make the evening a starry night.

IPL gala winner:

Dubai resident Kunal Bilakhia, who won a ticket to the IPL gala tonight with a local radio station, spoke to Emirates 24|7 saying: “I am really excited about tonight, maybe not so much seeing the cricket players themselves but Deepika Padukone.
 
“I have been told there is also a meet and greet with the stars so that is what’s really exciting for me.”
 
The Mumbai Indians supporter admitted amongst the players, he was keen on meeting Mahendra Singh Dhoni again, along with Rohit Sharma.
 
He added: “I have armed myself with two devices so I will record whatever I can. However, if I am too excited about Deepika, who knows what will happen.”
 
As for Shah Rukh Khan, Bilakhia admitted that he liked the actor when he was younger but wasn’t a big fan of his anymore.
 
Bilakhia, who is found playing cricket himself on weekends in Dubai, confessed he will be attending three IPL matches in the UAE.

BCCI call:

Unlike earlier editions, the BCCI (Board Of Control For Cricket In India) has dropped the opening ceremony from this year's Indian Premier League schedule.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India plans to keep the event low-key amid allegations of spot-fixing and betting in last year's tournament.
 
The opening ceremony may be missing but the cricket mania is reaching fever pitch in the UAE. 

Ready to keep the sporting spirit high fans in the emirates are gearing up in anticipation for the first match tomorrow (April 16).
 
UAE will host the first leg of IPL 7 consisting of 20 matches from April 16 to April 30 with Mumbai Indians, the reigning champions, taking on Kolkata Knight Riders, the 2012 winners, in the opening match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

To find out what your team is up to click here

Inputs: Bindu Suresh Rai