Cricket is not played in many countries of the world but the popularity of the game has permeated all continents. Indian Premier League (IPL), played in India, attracts many viewers as cricket players from across the globe participate in the tournament. This year Spanish singer Pitbull will rock the opening ceremony with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Katrina Kaif.

"SRK loves the city of joy and he is already very excited to perform there. Katrina will be performing there for the first time. When Pitbull was told that he is being invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the Pepsi IPL 2013, and SRK would also be performing as well, he agreed to come within minutes," reports IPLT20.com, citing a source.

IPL will see its sixth-season starting April 3 and the popularity of the tournament has increased year after year. The tournament is well known for the viewers it attracts, which includes many famous Bollywood film stars.

"The Opening Ceremony of the Pepsi IPL 2013 will be as outstanding as the cricket that we will witness over the subsequent seven weeks. We are in for a spectacular commencement to what promises to be a memorable tournament," avers Rajeev Shukla, chairman of IPL.

The IPL 2013 opening ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 2 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The opening ceremony "will feature flying drummers, Chinese percussionists, awesome fireworks, and some of the biggest film-stars in the country, including Shah Rukh Khan, the country's foremost Superstar."

Previous reports indicated that Jennifer Lopez would star in the opening ceremony but later on she backed out.  Pitbull had not updated his website to confirm his participation in the opening ceremony of the tournament at the time of writing.

Cricket is like a religion in India and thousands of viewers worship the game. IPL has bought a fresh spark in the game within the sub-continent and well-known international stars like Pitbull participating in opening ceremony of the tournament will attract even more viewers.