The closing night at this year’s Indian Premiere League, a professional Twenty20 league series established in 2008, brought together the A-listers of not just the cricketing field, but also tinsel town. The finals between two rivals, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, took place at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Right before the brewing battle between the teams, resulting in MS Dhoni’s CSK winning their fourth IPL title, Bollywood celebrities added their charm, wit and glamour with their presence throughout the show.
Actresses Katrina Kaif, Jacqueline Fernandez and Kriti Sanon, who were often sharing their behind-the-scenes preparation for the finale, took to stage with their famous hits.
Kaif, who is still remembered for her scintillating performance at the opening ceremony of IPL 2016, definitely stepped up her game this year. The actress danced on her chartbuster numbers, including Swag Se Swagat from her latest mile marker, Tiger Zinda Hai. Fernandez, who also performed at the opening ceremony in April, grooved to her new hit, Heeriye, from Race 3.
Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor donned new avatars as commentators for the final match. The actors who are known to be candid and never fail to enthral the audience with their presence, with IPL being no exception, were joined by Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan in the commentary box. Khan and Kapoor will be seen together in their next film, Race 3, slated to release this Eid.
The audience was surely in for a treat as they watched heart throbs Ranbir Kapoor and Kartik Aaryan host a special segment before the game. They were joined by host and actor Aparshakti Khurana. Kapoor, who is on a promotions spree for his upcoming release Sanju, was also seen hosting a special segment in the commentary box with Indian cricketer KL Rahul.
—Simran Kanal is an intern at Gulf News.
