01 April 2023, Mumbai: On Friday, March 31, Arijit Singh, a well-known playback singer, gave a performance at the opening ceremony of the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League. Currently, the first match of the season is underway, featuring an intense battle between Chennai Super Kings, led by MS Dhoni, and Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik Pandya.
Following the conclusion of the opening ceremony, the team captains convened with the performers who had participated in the ceremony. It is worth mentioning that Tamannaah Bhatia and Rashmika Mandanna also showcased their talents during the ceremony, alongside Arijit.
Fans were quick to notice the moment when Dhoni and Arijit met and the latter showed his appreciation by touching the feet of the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman. Dhoni also reciprocated by embracing Arijit, making the encounter a memorable one.
During the game, Gujarat captain Hardik won the toss and chose to field first, putting Dhoni’s CSK into bat. Unfortunately, Chennai suffered an early setback in the powerplay as opener Devon Conway was dismissed cheaply. Nonetheless, Ruturaj Gaikwad kept the scoreboard ticking from one end, helping the team score 51 runs in the first six overs.
The third-ranked batsman, Moeen Ali, played a quick innings of 23 runs off 17 balls but was caught out by Rashid Khan in the second-last ball of the powerplay. Following him, Ben Stokes also got out cheaply, giving Rashid his second wicket.
Gujarat’s bowlers, Rashid, Mohammed Shami, and Alzarri Joseph took two wickets each, while IPL debutant Joshua Little managed to take one wicket to keep the visiting team’s score to 178/7 after 20 overs.
In the second innings, Gujarat’s openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill gave a solid start, but the latter could not convert his start and got dismissed by Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s bowling. Sai Sudharsan came in as the first Impact Substitute for the Gujarat-based franchise. The home team scored 65 runs in the powerplay, losing only one wicket.