Bollywood stars, record viewership and 100,000 crowd kick off IPL 2023

Defending champions Gujarat Titans defeated Chennai Super Kings in first game of tournament in Ahmedabad

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni during the opening ceremony for IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Sportzpics for IPL

The Indian Premier League's 2023 edition got off to the biggest possible start with a spectacular opening ceremony, record viewership and 100,000-capacity crowd in Ahmedabad.

Defending champions Gujarat Titans started their title defence in style, easing past Chennai Super Kings in front of over 100,000 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

Opening batsman Shubman Gill smashed 63 off 36 balls as Gujarat beat Chennai by five wickets with four balls to spare at the world's biggest cricket stadium and their home ground. His innings overshadowed a blistering innings by Chennai opener Ruturaj Gaekwad, who made 92 off just 50 balls in their 178-7.

The tournament got off to a rousing start with a glitzy opening ceremony and fireworks. Bollywood stars Rashmika Mandanna, Tamannaah Bhatia and singer Arijit Singh performed during the ceremony, which also included a drone show.

The match itself saw new benchmarks being set in terms of viewership. According to moneycontrol.com, online rights holders JioCinema saw a total of 60 million unique viewers with a peak concurrency of over 16 million, making it one of the biggest sporting events in the world.