Kolkata : Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan had promised an opening ceremony like never before to usher in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. And he delivered one at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

All performers—Shah Rukh himself, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif — gave an electrifying performance that showcased the best of Bollywood to a packed audience that included skippers and team members of defending champions and home team Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, seven other captains, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla and a host of other dignitaries from all walks of life.

The proceedings of a wonderful evening were ceremonially opened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Srinivasan and Shukla with the verses of national poet Rabindranath Tagore playing in the background, and high velocity entertainment followed the solemn moment.

Stilt walkers from Denmark marked the beginning of the amusement segment followed by drummers suspended in the air, masked dancers and Chinese percussionists entertaining the house. Xander Nichting — a veteran of IPL opening ceremonies — thrilled the crowd with his mastery over violin, and then it was time for a few serious moments. Former Indian skipper Ravi Shastri invited nine captains — M S Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews and Ricky Ponting — to sign the customary Spirit of Cricket declaration.

Once the ceremony was done away swiftly, the most-awaited moment came. Deepika and Katrina wowed the spectators, dancing to the tunes of a few Bollywood hits. King Khan staged a medley of his popular numbers. It was simply a high energy section that underlined Shah Rukh’s popularity in this City, base of his franchise.

The evening had a touch of nostalgia as well when Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri sang a couple of hit numbers from the 80s, drawing applause from the audience. The show then moved on to the high-octane with American rapper Pitbull belting some hits of his while Shah Rukh, Katrina and Deepika joined him towards the end of his show. The quartet sent Kolkatans into delirium with a pulse-racing do.