IPL 5 Opening Ceremony 2012 - ESPN Star Cricket T20

After the long much waiting, A spectacular mix of Bollywood razzmatazz and high volume performances by International stars were the highlights of a dazzling opening ceremony which set the ball rolling for the fifth edition of the IPL in Chennai on Tuesday.

IPL Opening Ceremony & Launch

The glamour quotient was at an all-time high as a galaxy of stars, led by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, descended at the at the YMCA College of Physical Education and set the stage on fire with their performance.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra then enthralled the audience with her dance and heroics during her performance to the hit numbers from her films such as Don, Don 2 and Kaaminey, which even saw India spinner Harbhajan Singh shaking a leg on the stage.

India's dancing sensation and Chennai's own Prabhu Deva then fired the dance floor with his power-packed performance where he danced to songs from films such as Wanted and Hum Se Hai Muqablah.

Two-time title winners, Chennai Super Kings then took the stage and Priyanka Chopra shared some light moments with the cricketers as she quizzed skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Australian Doug Bollinger and Indian spinner R Ashwin some dancing steps.

The Chammak Challo Kareena Kapoor then set the heart racing with her dance numbers from films such as Ra One and Agent Vinod.

The opening night then saw the oath-taking ceremony by the skippers of the nine teams, including retired Rahul Dravid and Australian Adam Gilchrist, as they signed the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge.

Defending champions CSK skipper Dhoni placed the trophy back on the platform and BCCI president N Srinivasan and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla then joined the players on stage.

"IPL has grown from strength to strength and has established itself as a premiere tournament. BCCI is extremely proud of this achievement. But who is the cause, first the commitment of the players both international and domestic, who participated in the event, the enthusiasm of the franchises and assistance of the supporting stuffs and the cricket fans in India and around the world have contributed to its great success. We expect IPL V to be no less," Srinivasan said.

"We have not forgotten who played for us. The BCCI will give an one-time opportunity to cricketers who have graced Indian cricket -- International cricketer as well as domestic cricketers who played from a long time. Over 185 players will be benefited from it and we will start the distribution from this year. It is a small thank you from us to those who have done yeoman service to Indian cricket," he added.

Shukla then flagged off the fifth edition, saying: "It gives me a great pleasure to flag off the fifth edition of the DLF Indian Premier League, an arena where quality international and domestic cricketers take part in intense contest of strategy and skill. IPL is a platform where talent meets opportunity."

Details of IPL teams:

Chennai Super Kings will be chasing a hat-trick of titles in the Indian Premier League.

Mumbai Indians: They look the most complete team and will be keen on winning their maiden IPL trophy. Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit for the tournament and will bolster an already formidable batting line-up of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, and latest T20 sensation Richard Levi.

Delhi Daredevils: Things can only better for the side, which finished last in 2011. The Virender Sehwag-led unit is stronger with the inclusion of batting stars in Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Englishman Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor from New Zealand. 

Pune Warriors: They will be determined to make a mark after having been in the news for off-field reasons, which at one point saw them pulling out of the tournament. Australia captain Michael Clarke has been brought in as a replacement for Yuvraj Singh. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was signed recently. Sourav Ganguly will lead a batting line-up that has Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Jesse Ryder (New Zealand) and Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka).

Deccan Chargers: The 2009 champions look one of the weaker teams. Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has the challenge of bringing out the best from the young-looking team. Bowling remains their strength despite the withdrawal of fast bowler Ishant Sharma due to ankle injury. South African pacer Dale Steyn will be the one to look out for.

Chennai Super Kings: The most successful team in IPL starts as the favourite again. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be spoilt for choice in both the batting and bowling departments.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Last year's runners-up can hope to go the distance with the presence of the explosive West Indian batsman Chris Gayle and the in form Virat Kohli. These two should get ample support from South Africa's AB de Villiers and Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Kings XI Punjab: Captain and coach Adam Gilchrist will have the task of making the best use of the limited resources. The team does not boast of many big names. Australians David Hussey and Shaun Marsh are the prominent names in batting. Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris and Piyush Chawla will have to do the job with the ball.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir and his men have enough fire-power to build on their fourth place finish in 2011. The Australian fast bowling duo of Brett Lee and James Pattinson can trouble most batsmen.

Rajasthan Royals Royals heavily depend on its batting to progress into the knock-out rounds with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Brad Hodge, Shane Watson, who is available only after April.

Big B opens IPL with Prasoon Joshi's poem and Bhajji dance.