Union Agriculture Minister and President-elect of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Sharad Pawar will not attend the opening ceremony of the third edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament that kicks off on Friday evening at the D Y Patil Stadium here

Sources said he has decided not to be a part of the event as the invitation sent to him had reached late.

This has come as a big blow to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The third edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament will kick off on Friday evening with the defending champions-Deccan Chargers taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match at the D Y Patil Stadium here.

The match will be preceded by an opening ceremony, which will witness performances by Lionel Ritchie, UB40 and Bjorn Agan. Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone is also expected to perform.

The second match will be played between the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals.

IPL-3 will be the first ever sporting event to be broadcast live on the popular video sharing website 'Youtube'.

The Indian Premier League is a Twenty20 cricket competition initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and supervised by BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner for IPL.

It includes eight teams or 'franchisees' consisting of players from different countries. (ANI)