IPL 5 Opening Ceremony Pictures

 April 3rd was a big day for the city of Chennai as the IPL 5 got off to a great start with a star-studded opening ceremony.
Here are some of the pictures from the opening ceremony of IPL season 5 which was held at the YMCA stadium in Chennai. The star lists included - US Pop Diva Katy Perry, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Prabhu Deva, Kareena Kapoor.

The evening began with Amitabh Bachchan’s rendition of a poem ‘If I were to be born again’, written by renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi, with the creative dance performance choreographed by Shiamak Davar at the background.

 

Amitabh Bachchan reciting a poem at the IPL season 5 opening ceremony

Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor danced to some of their popular numbers and impressed the audiences.

 

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra performing at the opening ceremony of IPL season 5 in Chennai 

 

Bollywood sexy actress Kareena Kapoor grooving at the IPL season 5 opening ceremony

Then came the Bollywood star Salman Khan who gave a wonderful performance to wow everyone.

 

Bollywood bad boy Salman Khan performing at the opening ceremony of IPL season 5

The oath taking ceremony was held with all the skippers of the nine teams signing the MCC Spirit of Cricket Pledge.

 

Captains of the 9 IPL teams taking the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge at the IPL season 5 opening nite event held in Chennai on April 3rd night

 

Priyanka Chopra quizzing Dhoni and Ashwin of Chennai Super Kings

US pop diva Katy Pery, a greatinternational pop sensation, dazzled with a power packed performance on her super-hits like ‘Fireworks’ and ‘California Girls’.

 

International Pop Sensation Katy Perry of US performing at the IPL season 5 opening ceremony in Chennai

All pics courtesy: BCCI and AP Photos

The stunning night ended with a sparkling and glittering fireworks in the sky to signal the start of the season 5 of IPL.

The IPL 2012 season 5 will feature 76 games across 12 venues in India starting April 4. Lets hope we get to see some wonderful matches in the next one month.. hope the audience wouldn't be bored (76 games!!!) by the end of the IPL like last year... :) 

Andrew Symonds retires from all forms of cricket

Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds announced his retirement from professional cricket including this year's IPL.

 

Australian former all-rounder Andrew Symonds announces retirement from cricket

“Cricket has given me enormous opportunities in my life and I will always be grateful for this.  Recently I have had several new and exciting opportunities come my way, and I have decided it’s time to commit to and develop the next stage of my life," Symonds said in his statement.
“During my time in cricket I have enjoyed the support of many and made numerous friends. I hope to continue to enjoy these friendships through the next stage of my life.”

It has brought to an end a troubled career for this big hitting Australian maverick. He played a key role in the Australia's World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007. 
Andrew Symonds also appeared in the Indian version of Big Brother called Bigg Boss in the season 5 as a celebrity guest.

 

Andrew Symonds, who played for Mumbai Indians IPL team, retires from professional cricket

About his association with Mumbai Indians IPL team and not being able to play this year's IPL - Symonds said
“It is with regret that I will not be able to fulfill my final year of the IPL with the Mumbai Indians.  Mumbai Indians and the IPL have both been very supportive of me, but the impending arrival of my first child is a priority. I appreciate their understanding in my making this decision and I wish the team every success this year.”

Andrew Symonds played 26 Tests, scoring 1462 runs at 41 with two hundreds and 198 one-day matches, making 5088 runs at 40 runs average with six centuries.

Yuvraj Singh gets message from Lance Armstrong...

Good news!! Yuvraj Singh tweeted that his tumor is almost out of his system... glad to hear this news... 

Yuvraj's tweet...  "Got very good news from dr lawrence today! The tumor is almost way out of the system Aftr reading my todays scan !Second cycle has started"

Another wonderful news is that Lance Armstrong and his team Livestrong has sent an inspirational message to Yuvraj... which Yuvi tweeted happily...

 

Lance Armstrong's message to Yuvi

Lance Armstrong, a seven time Tour de France champion after surviving cancer, sent the message to Yuvi saying that "Knowledge is power, Unity is strength, and Attitude is everything". Quite inspirational.. 
Hope Yuvi gets his wish to meet his inspiration Lance Armstrong..

Also, Yuvraj posted his bald look after he lost his hair in chemo therapy radiation treatment to remove the tumor... 

 

Yuvraj Singh after his radiation treatment without hair.. Get well soon Yuvi!! We miss seeing you in the cricket ground

Following Yuvi's twitter for more updates.... eagerly waiting to hear the good news of his successful treatment n back to India...
Best Wishes Yuvi!! We are all behind you....