Lalit Modi can justifiably allow himself a cheshire grin or three after the cracking start to the Indian Premier League on Friday night.

The first indications that this would be a night to savour — and perhaps a foretaste of what is follow over the next six weeks — came during the mesmerising inaugural ceremony, a brilliant amalgam of the East and the West, a fusion of the best of both worlds. To equal that called for some effort; Brendon McCullum outshone the 50-minute spectacle with an awesome masterpiece on his way to the first IPL century.

The trappings of unpleasantness that surfaced when Ricky Ponting walked out to more than sporadic blues thankfully died a swift death; for the large part, fun and entertainment were the main ingredients, foot-tapping music and hip-swaying cheerleaders filling in between McCullum's fireworks.

Towards the end, with the Knight Riders cruising to the most commanding of victories, the fans turned against the home team briefly, but forgiveness seemed the order of the night as muted disapprobation quickly gave way to genuine appreciation of the Kolkata outfit’s superior all-round performance.

One of the many talking points in the lead-up to the IPL was how fans would react to a City-based concept, and whether they would identify with players as far removed from their cities as Melbourne and Cape Town. In that context, perhaps the most significant moment of the day came when Sourav Ganguly was dismissed, admittedly by fellow-Indian Zaheer Khan.

When the captains of the eight franchises were introduced during the opening ceremony, the loudest cheers after Sachin Tendulkar had been reserved for the charming Kolkatan.

When he was sent packing by Zaheer, however, the same set of fans couldn’t hide its delight at the eviction of one of the more dangerous strikers of the cricket ball in the world. It appeared then that they didn’t love Ganguly any less, they just loved the Challengers more! If this trend continues, the Modi grin will know no limits!!

Novelty value

The real challenge, needless to say, lies ahead. There can be few things more off-putting than a one-sided Twenty20 contest, and especially if the home side is at the receiving end. For the novelty value that will initially bring in the fans to graduate into something more permanent and long-lasting, it is essential for teams to impress in their own backyard.

Immediate target

The Challengers’ immediate target is Sunday’s showdown against the Mumbai Indians, but in their heart of hearts, Rahul Dravid and his band will be aware of the need for a strong performance at the Chinnaswamy stadium next Saturday against the Rajasthan Royals so that Bangalore keeps the faith.

The Knight Riders showed how diverse individuals from different backgrounds can revel in each others’ success, a plot other teams will strive to emulate. Funky Friday also drove home the point that glitz and cricket can happily co-exist. But that once ‘play’ is called, the song and dance is just peripheral.