Watch IPL Opening Ceremony Highlights [VIDEOS]

It was literally a case of ‘Lights-Camera-Action’ as the opening ceremony donned a perfect blend of cricketing values and entertainment extravaganza. The two-hour spectacle glittered the sky of the City of Joy and marked the beginning of a cricketing carnival that would go on for the next 45 days.

See the highlights HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

The captains of all the eight IPL teams made their way to the podium and not surprisingly received a huge round of applause from the thousands that had thronged the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favorite cricketing superstars.

As is the norm every year, the captains took the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge, reaffirming the values in IPL’s commitment to the Spirit of Cricket, which has been on display since the competition’s inception in 2008.

Defending champions and captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders Gautam Gambhir then made his way to put the trophy back in play signaling the start of the 2015 season.

This was just the start of the proceedings; the show had not even begun, the stage was just about warming-up for the plush performances ahead.

The show was hosted by Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan who kept the audiences engaged with his cheeky one liners at the same time keeping them abreast of the events happenings.

VIDEO: #PepsiIPL Opening Nite : @iHrithik lights up Kolkata with an electric perfomance http://t.co/2RnhbH7Cy3

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2015