Rashmika Mandanna set the stage on fire with an exhilarating performance during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opening ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The star actress, who is a well-known name in the Kannada, Tamil and Telugu film industries, made her entry on the song “Saami” from the movie "Pushpa: The Rise". The crowd erupted in cheers as she performed on the songs “Srivalli” from "Pushpa" and “Naatu Naatu” from the famous "RRR". Fellow actress Tamannah Bhatia and star singer Arijit Singh also took performed in the star-studded event.
Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings face each other in the first match of IPL 2023 as the tournament returns to the home and away format after two years. While the Hardik Pandya-led GT will look to repeat their heroics from last year, CSK will aim to improve from their ninth-spot finish.
The 2022 season was a memorable one for the Titans as they clinched the title in their debut season thanks to an all-round show from Pandya. The all-rounder led by example and was supported brilliantly by Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Shubman Gill.
On the other hand, CSK were off to a horrible start under new skipper Ravindra Jadeja and midway into the season, the 34-year-old decided to step down from his position. Dhoni was once again the choice for captaincy but it was too little too late as CSK could manage only four wins from 14 games.
There remains some doubts on Dhoni's availability for the match as the veteran was suffering from a knee injury and time will tell if he will lead CSK in the opening match of this year's competition.