The third Indian Premier League edition is here and there is palpable excitement in the air. Teams have started playing limb-looseners and are looking to see which combo suits them the best. T20 is such a fast format that there is hardly any time to blink.

It is a format which has changed the game considerably and made even the longer format more attractive. The IPL, with its teams consisting of players from different nations, has also helped in breaking down a lot of barriers between players and bringing a greater understanding of different work ethics and cultures. Post the IPL there are fewer blowouts in the middle between players in Tests and ODIs and invariably whenever there is the odd explosion it involves players who are not playing the IPL.

The time-out gives a little space for the players to stop and look at possibilities in the remaining overs and since both teams are allowed to take the time out, it gives both teams the chance to reassess the situation.

In the fifty-overs format the game can turn in four or five overs. In the T20 it could be as little as four or five balls. Tactics have little place in this format and teams that field well and are fit are more likely prevail than others.

All the 45,000 tickets for IPL-3’s opening match at the D Y Patil stadium have been sold out. Nobody is surprised that the match is between defending champions Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders and the home team is not in action. Everybody knows that cricket’s most popular event is as much about entertainment and marketing as the sport itself, if not more.

People in the know estimate that the inaugural match alone will fetch around Rs 5 crore, almost three times the amount earned (Rs1.5-2 crore) during the first match of IPL 1 in Bangalore in 2008, thanks to the hike in tickets prices from the Rs 500-1,500 range to Rs 500-2,500. Also, the corporate tickets are sold for Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh, while last year they were mostly given away to sponsors.

Besides the high-scoring, mostly exciting matches, there will be celebrities and who’s who of corporate India in the VIP galleries, cheerleaders on the ground and, on Friday, there will be the opening ceremony.

Heavy security arrangements have been made in the vicinity of DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai where the opening ceremony of the IPL Season 3 will be hosted and first T-20 match would be played .

Police appealed to spectators to arrive at the venue two hours in advance so that security checkings could be done on time, they said.

“Keeping the terror threat perception in mind, over 2000 police personnel and 1000 private security guards engaged by the stadium management and IPL authority would be deployed at the stadium,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Ashok Dudhey.

“We are taking no chances and each and every spectator would be thoroughly frisked before allowing him to enter the stadium through nine entry/exit points,” he said adding over 60 door-frame metal detectors have been installed.

The crowd should arrive at the stadium, which has 60,000 sitting capacity, well two hours in advance, he said appealing the viewers to opt for public transport to avoid traffic congestion in the area. Water bottles, electronic materials, match box, sharp objectives, heavy bags will not be allowed inside the stadium, the DCP said.

The eight teams Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab) will be honored in this ceremony and the games will officially begin with the first match between the Deccan Chargers and the Kolkata Knight Riders.