WATCH: MS Dhoni Spotted Grooving to Arijit Singh's ‘Deva-Deva’ During IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony

The sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got underway with the opening clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Prior to the season opener, the arena was set ablaze by phenomenal performances by leading Bollywood singer Arijit Singh, followed by scintillating dance performances by actresses Tamannaah Bhatia and Rashmika Mandanna.

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings IPL 2023 Match no. 1 Live Score

The opening ceremony began with Aritjit setting up the mood with back-to-back melodious hit numbers, including ‘Kesariya’ and ‘Deva-Deva’ from Bramhastra, and ‘Jhoomein jo Pathaan’ from Shahrukh Khan’s recent release, Pathaan.

Arijit’s soulful voice sent the crowd at Motera into a frenzy. Each and every one present at the venue could resist him/herself grooving and lip-syncing to his songs. Meanwhile, the camera focused on CSK captain MS Dhoni, who was seated at the dugout and grooving to the singer’s tunes.

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After Arijit’s electrifying performance, Tamannaah got their energy levels up through her graceful moves. But the Chennai fans, outnumbering Gujarat supporters, had another moment when Rashmika’s ‘Vanakkam Chennai Super Kings’ got louder cheers than ‘Kem Chho Gujarat Titans?’, followed by her dancing to some popular songs, including the chartbuster Naatu Naatu from the movie RRR.

When the performers as well as dignitaries from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were called upon the stage to conclude the opening ceremony, Dhoni and Pandya arrived on grand chariots.

Despite Pandya being the home captain, the cheers, the crowd, upwards of 1,00,000, erupted in joy with chants of ‘Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni’, something which will be heard more during Friday’s match.

As the IPL returns to the home-and-away format after four years, the Narendra Modi Stadium was jam-packed and for a moment, one would have been mistaken for the gathering to be the one from Chepauk in Chennai.

(With Agency Inputs)

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