It will not just be heavy traffic on the roads leading to the Dr D Y Patil Stadium in Nerul, the air-traffic will be equally heavy as the third edition of the Indian Premier League gets underway today.

To beat the traffic, IPL's VVIP guests will be flown in by choppers.

The ground has enough space for two helicopters to land at the same time.

"We are using the chopper service for our guests the VVIPs," informed an IPL official. The VVIP invitees will be seated in the exclusive IPL Club lounge, where each seat costs Rs 1.4 lakh. "The chopper service will be available only to reach the venue as flying is not allowed after 6pm. For the return journey, the guests will be driven or ferried by boats from CBD, Belapur," said the official.

With high profile international groups like UB40, Abba Revival and Lionel Richie performing at the opening ceremony followed by the IPL opener, there have been quite a few takers for these high-priced tickets. The corporate boxes are priced at Rs 25,000 a seat.

Murdoch too...
There will be no dearth of stars from every walk of life. High-profile personalities too will grace the occasion and world media mogul Rupert Murdoch is among the special invitees.

"It is only the second time that the IPL is being staged in India. So, naturally there is a lot of excitement," said IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah.