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29 March 2024

No IPL 7 opening ceremony but Shah Rukh Khan will party in UAE

Kolkata Knight Riders team co-owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan poses with the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy during a press conference at his residence in Mumbai, India. Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL cricket title on Sunday, defeating two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in a high-scoring final. (AP)

Published
By Ajanta Paul

IPL opening ceremony loses its shine this year.

Unlike earlier editions, the opening ceremony has been dropped from this year's Indian Premier League schedule.

The yearly sporting extravaganza which generally opens with much pomp and pageantry will be less glitzy.

Contrary to recent reports, Emiratets24|7 has confirmed news that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will not give any opening ceremony performance in Abu Dhabi.

BCCI Chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told Emirates 24|7 , "The opening ceremony has been dropped and on April 15 we will have a gala dinner".

The IPL organisers will hold a dinner party at the Emirates Palace.

Sources in the SRK team informed Emirates24|7 that the actor will be part of the gala dinner and no opening ceremony performance is lined up.

"His shooting schedule is packed right now. He is shooting day and night for Farah Khan's 'Happy New Year' and for any performance they need rehearsals, but Shah Rukh is definitely part of the gala dinner scheduled by IPL", said the source.

But being the entertainer that he is no one can overrule an impromptu gig by the star during the gala night.

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.

Though the glamour quotient 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 anticipating.

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 on April 16.

The BCCI has announced the ticket pricing and availability for the UAE leg of the event, with tickets going on sale now.

The starting price of tickets is from as low as Dh20 for a single match and Dh30 for double-headers in Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital will sport seven of the 20 IPL 7 matches.

Tickets can be purchased online on www.iplt20.com and www.ticketmaster.ae. They will also be available at selected Lulu Hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, from Sunday, April 6, whilst stadium box-office sales will start on Thursday, April 10.

Starting on April 19, Dubai will host seven of the IPL’s 20 UAE matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

In Dubai, which will also play host to seven IPL 7 matches, the tickets are priced at Dh30 for a single match and Dh50 for a double-header while in Sharjah, which will see six matches, the pricing is Dh30 for a single match and Dh40 for double-headers. Ticket prices go up to Dh250 for platinum seating.