In which Indian city was the opening match of the 2017 Indian Premier League played on 5 April 2017?

Introduction / Context:
The Indian Premier League is one of the most watched T20 cricket leagues in the world. Each season begins with an opening match, often involving the defending champions at their home venue and accompanied by a ceremonial opening. Competitive exams sometimes ask about the venue of specific opening matches, and remembering the city for the 2017 season helps reinforce knowledge of IPL history and major cricket stadiums in India.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The year of the IPL season is 2017.
• The match in question is the first match of that season, played on 5 April 2017.
• The question asks for the city where this opening match took place.
• Several major Indian cricketing cities are listed as options.

Concept / Approach:
The 2016 IPL season was won by Sunrisers Hyderabad. According to IPL tradition, the defending champions usually host the first game of the next season at their home ground. Sunrisers Hyderabad play their home matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Consequently, the opening match of the 2017 IPL, played on 5 April 2017, was held in Hyderabad. Recognising this pattern between defending champions and opening match venues helps answer questions like this without needing to memorise every date.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL title in 2016. Step 2: Understand that the defending champions usually host the opening match of the next IPL season. Step 3: Identify the home city and stadium of Sunrisers Hyderabad, which is Hyderabad and the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Step 4: Connect this with the 2017 season opening match on 5 April 2017. Step 5: Choose Hyderabad from the list of options as the correct venue city.

Verification / Alternative check:
Cricket schedules and archived news reports of the IPL 2017 season confirm that the first match was played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Hyderabad, not Bengaluru or any of the other listed cities, hosted this match. This independent confirmation from match schedules and reports verifies that Hyderabad is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bengaluru: Although Royal Challengers Bengaluru are a prominent team, they were away team in the opening match and their home city did not host the first game of the season.
Kolkata: Eden Gardens in Kolkata has hosted many important IPL matches and previous opening ceremonies, but for 2017 the opening match was not scheduled there.
Delhi: The Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) hosts Delhi franchise matches, but it was not the location of the first match of IPL 2017.
Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is a major venue but did not host the opening game for this particular season.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes guess Kolkata or Mumbai because these cities are very closely associated with big cricket events and past IPL ceremonies. Others may mistakenly pick Bengaluru because they remember Royal Challengers participating in the opener. The key is to remember the defending champion rule and associate the 2017 opening game with the home city of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Keeping a simple mental timeline of which franchise won each season can help avoid such errors in tournament based questions.

Final Answer:
The opening match of the 2017 Indian Premier League on 5 April 2017 was played in Hyderabad.