30,000 tickets released for IPL opening jamboree
IANS
Kolkata, April 5
Around 30,000 tickets have been released in the nearly one lakh capacity Salt Lake stadium for the Indian Premier League opening ceremony April 7, an official said here on Saturday. The figure of 30,000 includes the tickets for the hospitality box as also the complimentary tickets being distributed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said IPL governing council member and Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Subir Ganguly.
He said gallieries in a large part of the stadium have to be closed to the people because of the performances on stage.
Bollywood stars Farhan Akhtar, Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Pritam and Hrithik Roshan are all set to light up the ceremony, which is taking place in Kolkata after a gap of two years.
All eight team captains will be present to take the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Spirit of Cricket pledge. Gautam Gambhir, captain of defending champions KKR, will put the trophy back in play, signaling the start of the 2015 season.
Mumbai Indians target title-winning turnaround
One of the most talked about and well-supported franchises in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians gear up for the eighth installment of the cash-rich T20 tournament as one of the favourites to clinch the title for the second time.
The champions of the 2013 edition are set to begin their journey under newly-appointed coach Ricky Ponting, one of the best leaders and batsmen the game has ever seen. The Australian's experience and aggression would be a big advantage for the team going into the tournament. Also the addition of former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond in the coaching set-up gives the team a new dimension.
Last year, led by hard-hitting Indian opener Rohit Sharma, the team reached the play-off stages where they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the eliminator by 7 wickets.
Led by star Indian batsman Rohit, Mumbai Indians have always had a balanced unit in all the editions and they look even more formidable after the 2015 IPL auctions.
Mumbai Indians are also one of the better achievers with one IPL and two Champions League T20 titles under their belt. This year they have retained bulk of the team they fielded last year and that allows them to gel well together.
Among the notable additions to the squad were Australia's World Cup-winning opener Aaron Finch, who was bought for Rs. 3.2crore. The Victorian, part of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL last season, has played 22 T20s for Australia and scored 756 runs. New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan is another crucial purchase. Mumbai Indians have done well to get him for just Rs. 30 lakh.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha bowled with guile during the team's triumphant run in 2013. In the February 16 auction, he was roped back into the Mumbai set-up for Rs. 50 lakh.
