Lalit Modi is taking his entire business acumen and his not inconsiderable street savvy to make sure that IPL Season 2 is a cricket event like no other, ever before in international cricket. Yesterday was a parade when as many as a hundred and fifty cricket players and high profile team owners and movie stars got together in Cape Town. As the teams paraded thru the streets of Cape Town, there was a festive atmosphere, much like it is in India reportedly. While there were 9 floats mounted on trucks for each of the teams and one for IPL, the parade was accompanied by dancers and local brass bands as well.

Modi announced that the spectacular opening ceremony today will feature top Indian and international entertainers such as Cirque d’Sole il artists, the Snow Patrol and many other international acts. There will certainly be much fanfare and dazzling spectacle on show this year if last year was anything to go by. Last year as well there were spectacular fireworks that lit the sky at the opening ceremony, and we can be sure that Modi will try to outdo himself this year as well!

Among the other promotional activities, will be a glittering party held for VIPs who are attending the IPL or are connected with it. However this will be an exclusive, by-invitation ‘do’ with 500 attendees. This will add something more to the glitz and glamour of the IPL and make fodder for many Page 3s.

Where there is Bollywood, can Bollywood beauties be far behind? There will also be a Miss Bollywood competition organised for the IPL. In this initiative, Modi announced that 50 young women will be identified and from among them, one winner will be picked. This winner will then be hosted by Shah Rukh Khan in India. It seems that Modi will miss no chance at roping in the Bollywood Badshah to cash in on his star power!

Oh! And just by the way, there will also be the small matter of a T20 match, the first one, the one that everyone is looking forward to with bated breath, that will kick of this year’s IPL extravaganza: the two finalists from the inaugural edition, the defending Champs Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings will face off in the first match of this IPL season.  

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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