BCCI to have small celebration ahead of IPL's 1000th match between MI and RR

The 1000th IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals will be played at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday.

The Mumbai Indians (MI)-Rajasthan Royals (RR) Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday will hold extra significance as it will be the 1000th fixture in the history of the competition.

The BCCI have planned a small celebration for the occasion, which will last for 10-15 minutes and involve former players and the two captains for the evening.

"The BCCI will hold a small celebration to mark the occasion. The volunteers will be holding the 1000th match flag, "thank you flag" and the Indian flag. The whole ceremony will last for just 10-15 minutes. It will kick off with Ravi Shastri addressing the crowd. Then a video will be played out in which a few players will talk about the IPL. Then, the BCCI office-bearers will hand over memento to both the captains, which will be followed by the national anthem. A dry run will be held on the eve of the match," sources told The Times of India on Friday.

The league, which began on April 18 2008 with the Royal Challengers Bangalore facing the Kolkata Knight Riders  at the Chinnaswamy stadium, has seen quite a few ups and a few downs as well in its duration.

MI are the most successful franchise in the tournament's history with five titles to their name, the last of which came in 2020 in the United Arab Emirates. Rohit Sharma, who turns 36 on Sunday, has led the team in each of those title victories.