The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 kicked off with an action-packed opening ceremony at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, Shahid Kapoor, and Kartik Aaryan dazzled the audience with their stunning dance performances, setting the stage for the tournament's grand inauguration. This year's WPL theme is 'Cricket ka Queendom’. The first match of the WPL 2024 is between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.
All the five teams viz. Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, UP Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Gujarat Giants were represented by a Bollywood celebrity in the WPL 2024's opening ceremony.
Five captains welcomed by King Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan welcomed the five WPL captains Meg Lanning (DC), Harmanpreet Kaur (MI), Ellyse Perry (UP-W), Beth Mooney (GG), and Smriti Mandhana (RCB) to join him on stage.
Shah Rukh Khan's dance performance set the stage on fire
King Khan started with a speech about the power of women then he began his performance with the song ‘Jhoome jo Pathan’. He continued with the song 'Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya' from the same movie.
"If women have progressed in so many fields, then why not in sports? This was the reason behind the initiative of the Women's Premier League by the BCCI under secretary Jay Shah. For the next 30 days, it's not only about women and their power, it's not only about cricket and the goodness of sports. It's about the rise of women and to carve their place and the rise of queens in their Queendom," Shah Rukh said ahead of his performance.
Shahid Kapoor represents Mumbai Indians
Shahid Kapoor represented Harmanpreet Kaur led-MI and made a stylish entrance on a motorcycle. He then danced to his Bollywood super hits.
Varun Dhawan for UP Warriorz
Varun Dhawan and his dancers, all dressed in purple costumes represented the franchise's colors. They started their performance with ‘Apna Bana Le’ from the movie ‘Bhediya.’
Royal Challengers Bangalore gets Tiger Shroff
Tiger Shroff received enthusiastic applause from the crowd as he showcased his dance skills while representing the Smriti Mandhana's RCB.
Siddharth Malhotra vibing with Delhi Capitals
Before his performance, Sidharth Malhotra greeted all the DC's players in the dugout and then lit up the stage with his Bollywood hit numbers.
Kartik Aaryan greets Gujarat Giants
Kartik Aaryan entered with his group of dancers wearing the orange colors of the Beth Mooney-led GG, eliciting huge cheers from the audience.
In a memorable fusion of cricket and Bollywood, BCCI President Roger Binny, Honorary Secretary Jay Shah, and other esteemed BCCI officials shared the stage with team captains and Bollywood celebrities. The glittering opening ceremony concluded with all five captains coming together for a photo with the prestigious WPL trophy. This grand event was succeeded by the inaugural match of the tournament, featuring a clash between the previous year's finalists, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK: