At the grand opening ceremony held at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) officially got underway.
The owner of the defending IPL champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Shah Rukh Khan, hosted the event overall and had a number of celebrities perform at the opening ceremony.
Although the audience erupted in applause for the celebrities’ performance, Virat Kohli’s invitation to the stage by SRK received the loudest applause of the evening.
After a brief speech, Virat Kohli and Rinku Singh took the stage together.
He and SRK then started a little dance.
Shortly afterward, Kohli was asked to take the stage once more and was given a special congratulations. A unique souvenir was given to him prior to IPL 18. President Roger Binny of the BCCI gave him the souvenir.
The first game’s throw was delayed because the opening ceremony went longer than expected.