Greater Noida, Feb 22 (IANS): Former South African batter Herschelle Gibbs, all-rounder Thisara Perera, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Rajat Bhatia, and Munaf Patel are among the veteran stars who arrived here on Thursday ahead of the start of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL).

The IVPL is set to kick off on Friday at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.

The first match of IVPL will see a thrilling clash between Sehwag's Mumbai Champions and Chris Gayle's Telangana Tigers.

The IVPL final will be played on March 3 and before the summit clash every day (except Day 1) there will be double headers.

Gibbs, who will captain Red Carpet Delhi in the IVPL, expressed his excitement about joining the squad. "It's lovely to be back here. Looking forward to the next 10 days. It's an exciting time. I've coached one or two of these players before. It's nice to be playing alongside them. We've got a lovely squad together," Gibbs said.

"If I get in, anything can happen. I think that's always what made me unpredictable. If I did get in, I could cause a little bit of havoc and I'm looking forward to it," said Gibbs.

The IVPL will witness fierce competition among six teams, including VVIP Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Legends, Red Carpet Delhi, Chhattisgarh Warriors, Telangana Tigers, and Mumbai Champions.

Each team will engage in five matches during the league stage before progressing to the semifinals, slated for March 2, where the top four teams will compete for coveted spots in the final.