One of cricket's biggest extravaganzas is back in India.
The fourth edition of the Indian Premiere League kicked off at a packed M.A. Chidamabram stadium in the city.
The audience cheered as all the ten captains walked into arena and signed on the ad board set up. Following that, the new IPL chairman Chirayu Amin, in a brief note, declared the tournament open.
The cultural performances soon followed.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is set to perform at the opening ceremony along with actress Shriya Saran. She will dance to Tamil tracks like 'Naakka Mukka', 'Ringa Ringa' and 'Appadi Podu'.
Performances will also include Kunal Gangawala and Sunidhi Chauhan.
Meanwhile, the punters are back in action.
With the six-week long IPL tournament starting on Friday, reliable sources say that bookies have again got busy, thanks partly to the funds generated by the just-ended World Cup.
A whopping Rs.12,000 crore is at stake on the different matches that will be played as well as on the eventual victor, the sources said.
The underground betting syndicates are aggressively investing for the IPL's 10 teams that will play a total of 74 matches during the fourth edition of the Twenty20 League, the sources told IANS.
The rates for the IPL-IV champion, according to the sources, are as follows:
* Mumbai Indians top the heap as the favourite at Rs.5, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore at Rs.6.50.
* The third slot on the list is jointly occupied by Chennai Super Kings and Kolkatta Knight Riders at Rs.7.
* The new team, Sahara Pune Warriors comes a surprising fifth at Rs.9, followed by Deccan Chargers at Rs. 11.50.
* Following them are Delhi Daredevils at Rs.12.50 and Kochi Tuskers, the other new team, at Rs.13.
* The bottom rung is occupied by King XI Punjab at Rs.16 and Rajasthan Royals at Rs.19.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that in the recently-concluded ICC World Cup-2011, the final betting figures which stood at Rs.50,000 crore April 1, were in the range of around Rs.52,000 crore April 2, the day the epoch-making match was played.