A short opening ceremony will be held to inaugurate the event. In order not to annoy genuine cricket fans the entertainment will be kept to the minimum and the actual cricket will be the major attraction. All the captains will read out a pledge to play in the spirit of the game. All the teams have been given a challenger name for the cities they represent and are owned by famous industrialists and films and media personalities.

The 8 teams (in alphabetical order) participating in the event, are – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Mohali /Chandigarh.

Vijay Mallaya (United Breweries) owns The Bangalore team (Royal Challengers)

India Cements owns The Chennai Team (Chennai Super Kings).

GMR Holdings owns The Delhi Team (Delhi Daredevils).

Deccan Chronicle Group Holdings owns The Hyderabad Team (Deccan Chargers).

Lachian Mudroch (Emerging Media) owns The Jaipur Team (Rajasthan Royals).

Shah Rukh Khan (Red Chillies Entertainment) owns The Kolkata Team (Knight Riders).

Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries) owns The Mumbai Team (Mumbai Indians).

Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia own The Mohali /Chandigarh Team (Kings of Punjab).

All the teams will play 55 matches (click here for fixtures) among themselves, till the 27th May. Two Semi Finals will be played on 30th and 31st May at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.