The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will be the epicenter of Indian and global football fans alike as the Inaugural Season of the Hero Indian Super League kicksoff here on October 12th 2014. The entertainment packed proceedings will be telecast starting 18.00 IST on eight channels of the Star network and also be aired on www.starsports.com, whereas the on-ground entertainment will start 17.20 IST onwards.

The sheer footballing quotient aside, Kolkatans and Indian football fans alike will be treated to an eye-catching visual extravaganza at the Grand Opening Ceremony.

True to the spirit of the Hero Indian Super League which is a footballing league set up for India by Indians and for the development of footballing talent in India, the Grand Opening Ceremony, too will be a celebration of the vast cultural diversity that is India. As the Opening Ceremony will feature exclusively Indian talent from the eight corners of our great, nation representing the eight teams from the eight cities and the ethnic diversity all via the medium of Indian music and musicians. It promises to be the most extensive half an hour of entertainment ever conceived and executed in India.

Kicking off the Grand Opening Ceremony will be a performance by 200 children (100 boys & 100 girls) between the age group of 12 ‐ 14 years and 100 Dance Performers, wherein over 600 illuminated footballs will be used as props. The performance by the children will culminate in a dramatic formation of the Indian Super League logo. A 160 Indian musicians with 8 musical maestros will also set the stage alight at the Salt Lake Stadium to some melodious Indian music on Sunday, October 12th.

Next up will be a quick video montage highlighting the International and Indian footballing talent on display over the duration of the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League. Post which taking center stage would be the Honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee, who will declare the inaugural opening ceremony open.

Immediately post which the Hero Indian Super League will pay a brief tribute to the “Blazing Feet Of Indian Footballing Legends”, the Golden Era of football in India 1951–‐1962 with shots from the Asian Games of 1962. Then taking center stage at the Salt Lake Stadium will be a tribute by 8 musical maestros representing each of the eight participating teams and regions, who will be accompanied nearly a 160 musicians. Representing Kolkata at their home venue will be Mr. Bickram Gosh, while percussionist extraordinaire Mr Sivamani will play for Chennai. Similarly, Mr Aslam Dafrani will represent Delhi, while Mr Bondo and Mr Taufiq Qureshi will represent Goa and Mumbai respectively. Adding to the atmosphere will the Chenda players representing Kerala, the Manipuri dhol players from the North East and Puneri dhol players representing Pune. All of whom will be accompanied by 160 lezim players.

The highlight of the Grand Opening Ceremony will be a special performance by Bollywood Diva and international pop icon Priyanka Chopra, accompanied by Salim Merchant of the Salim and Suleiman famed duo. Ms Priyanka Chopra will then set the stage alight performing with all the 8 musical maestros and dance performers, who will also sing an original compilation later. The Grand Opening Ceremony is thus bound to set the tempo for the Hero Indian Super League and grip the whole nation with football fever.

The Grand Opening Ceremony will then come to a close amidst fantastic fireworks, with a special rendition of the League anthem being performed by Salim Merchant.

The Honourable Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal would also be present at the event along with other dignitaries including Mr Praful Patel, President – All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Mr Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India. Celebrity owners of the participating teams present at the event will include Abhishek Bachchan (Chennaiyin FC), Varun Dhawan (FC Goa), Salman Khan (FC Pune City) and John Abraham (NorthEast United FC) along with Saurav Ganguly (Atlético De Kolkata), Sachin Tendulkar (Kerala Blasters FC) and Ranbir Kapoor (Mumbai City FC).

Following the inauguration ceremony, the first match of the Hero Indian Super League will be played between Atlético de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC, locking horns against each other on the field.

The Hero Indian Super League is a symbol of hope and pride for Indian football and Indian football fans around the world. Especially as the league marks the birth of a footballing nation, which is expected to culminate into a glorious new chapter for Indian football. IMG Reliance and Star Sports hope that the Hero Indian Super League would magnify the penetration of football at the grassroots levels in our country and give our upcoming Indian talent, the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best of the best in global football and learn from them. Come Sunday, October 12th all of India, as indeed all of Kolkata will have the eyes firmly tuned to the Salt Lake Stadium to witness this Grand Opening Ceremony and the inaugural game of the Hero Indian Super League.

The Grand Opening Ceremony and the inaugural match of the Hero Indian Super League Season 2014 will be telecast on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). Furthermore, it would also be aired on www.starsports.com.

Tickets to the Grand Opening Ceremony and first match of Hero Indian Super League are priced between INR 200/- to 2500/-. Book your tickets online at www.indiansuperleague.com. Tickets are also available at Salt Lake Stadium box office at the Stadium.