Bangalore: History will be created here as the mutli-million dollar IPL event gets under way in just a few hours. In the past, the Chinnaswamy stadium has hosted cricket matches and Miss World pageants; but for the first time, entertainment and sport — in that order — will converge in a big way. It will be interesting to see which comes out on top at the end of the night. For their part, Bangalore fans will be hoping that their team hands out a royal defeat to Team Kolkata in the inaugural match on Friday night; the visitors will be hoping to ride on some luck and pluck to start off on a victorious note too. The organisers — thanks to the local association — have remembered to lay out a lush green outfield and a cricket pitch too; this despite the primary task of putting up a stage for the artists, along with power lasers from the rooftop and massive speakers all along the ground. People in charge have no doubts that the pitch will remain true for the entire 40 overs. But will the highly paid cricketers live up to expectations and deliver a cracker of an opener? We will have to wait and see. There is no dearth of stars in either side. Both are led by former Indian captains and contain a host of international stars, with four from each side allowed to take the field as per the rules of the tournament. The total prize money of Rs 12 crore (the winner gets Rs 4.8 crore), ensures that the players will be interested till the very end. Big money has attracted the biggest of stars and led to an international integration that will see Australians team up with New Zealanders, South Africans with Sri Lankans along with the mother of all combinations, Indians with Pakistanis. If Dravid, the Bangalore skipper, has players such as Jaques Kallis and Mark Boucher with the experience to help him out on the field, Kolkata’s Ganguly will look to Ricky Ponting for support.
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