The ISL season 4 is set to get underway on Friday, as Kerala Blasters get set to welcome defending champions ATK to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
These two teams had faced each other in the final of ISL 2016 last year, and with ATK having come out as the winners on that occasion, the Blasters will have revenge on their minds against the 2014 and 2016 champions.
With the addition of two new teams – Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC – ISL 2017 is set to be a longer event, spanning over five months, instead of the three-month format that the tournament had followed over the last three seasons.
When is the opening ceremony?
Before the main match kicks off, however, the passionate Kerala fans are set to witness an opening ceremony at the Kochi venue. The opening ceremony gets underway at 7.15pm, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Kochi, on Friday.
A number of stars from the other walks of life have often graced the opening ceremonies of the past, and it will be no different this time round either. Star Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are all set to perform at the opening ceremony, in front of a 41,000-strong Kochi crowd.
Where to watch the ISL opening ceremony?
The ISL opening will be broadcast live on Star Sports2, Star Sports HD2 and Star Sports3 and Star Sports HD3.
India:
Star Sports2/HD2 (English), Star Sports3/HD3 (Hindi), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Asianet Suvarna Plus (Kannada)
Live Streaming:
Hotstar (India)
Australia/USA:
Fox Sports
Canada:
CBN, ATN Cricket Plus, ATN Punjabi Plus, ATN Bangla
South-East Asia:
Eurosport
Africa:
Fox Sports, Zuku & Supersport, Star Gold, OSN
Europe:
Star Gold
Middle East:
OSN
Bangladesh:
Channel 9
With the ISL set to be broadcast all around the world, it is indeed set to be a mega event, as the tournament expands into a bigger version, this time round.