Sachin, Sourav, Sehwag and Laxman were felicitated by BCCI during IPL 10 opening ceremony on Wednesday. Image Source: IPL twitter[/caption]Internet Desk: The 10th season of Indian Premier League kick-started at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday. The opening ceremony failed to live up to the expectation, compared to the previous editions. The only highlight of the opening ceremony was the felicitation of the four legends of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman.
Bollywood actress Amy Jackson enthralled a packed stadium, dancing to the tunes of latest Bollywood hits.
The evening began with David Warner, the captain of the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad walked in with the glittering IPL trophy. Soon after, the host of the evening, Ravi Shastri invited the four legendary cricketers who were felicitated and taken around the stadium on golf carts.
Another legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid, who was also supposed to be present for the opening ceremony, was missing.
All the four cricketers were felicitated by the COA Chairman Vinod Rai, BCCI officials and IPL Governing Council Chairman Rajiv Shukla.
There were loud cheers from the capacity crowd as Sachin Tendulkar walked into the ground.
"I can't believe the IPL has completed 10 years. This is a big achievement and it would not have been possible without the spectators.
"I honestly never thought the IPL would become so big and it's a matter of pride that the whole world has taken notice. As the tournament progressed, sportsmen have gone to a different level - the best part about IPL is that cricket has gone to countries that never played cricket," said Tendulkar about the 10 years journey of IPL.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly compared the IPL with World Cup football.
"I had gone to see the football World Cup final - the IPL is in no way inferior to that. Hopefully in 10 years, it will be just as big," said Ganguly who has witnessed World Cup football.
Local boy VVS Laxman described IPL as a tournament that revolutionized the entire dynamics of cricket. According to Laxman, "IPL has revolutionised the entire dynamics of the game - batsmen have become more attacking, bowlers have learnt to bowl defensive lines, cricket is entertainment, IPL has provided that kind of entertainment to one and all.”
Kings XI Punjab mentor Virender Sehwag said, “I am the only guy who played all the three formats the same way. I have always believed that if you are playing cricket, you should be able to entertain. As KXIP mentor, I have allowed my players to play the game they want to.”
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