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Thousands cheered on the inaugural match of the Women's Premier League cricket tournament in India on Saturday after a star-studded opening ceremony in what experts have billed a game-changing moment for women's sport.
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Bollywood stars Kiara Advani, Kriti Sanon and singer AP Dhillon opened the new league in front of a jubilant crowd that nearly packed out a 55,000-capacity stadium in India's business hub Mumbai.
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The new bride of the tinsel town Kiara Advani wore a hot pink bodycon dress and grooved to 'Kya baat hai...'
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She performed on popular songs like Tera Mukhda, Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Rangisari, and the song Bijli from her film Govinda Naam Mera while owning the stage.
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Kriti Sanon wore a silver-coloured sleeveless top teaming it up with a neon-green-coloured long skirt.
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Kriti matched her steps with the beats of her latest hit 'Thumkeswari'.
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AP Dhillon in his signature style made the audience dance with his 'Brown Munde' song.
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The audience cheered for the performers.
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The trophy of the inaugural season was unveiled in presence of captains of all five teams, Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians), Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants) and Alyssa Healy (UP Warriorz).
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, Treasurer Ashish Shelar and IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal were also present on the occasion.
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Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Gujarat Giants skipper Beth Mooney poses for a photo with the trophy ahead of their inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) match, at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, in Mumbai on Saturday.
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Performers pose for pictures before the opening ceremony of 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on March 4, 2023
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In its first season, the Women's Premier League will stage a total of 20 league matches and two Playoff games that will be played in a duration of 23 days.
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