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Stars descend on earth for WPL 2023 Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony had a good splash of Bollywood in the maximum city. Actors like Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani performed on the tunes of hit Bollywood numbers and entertained the fans gathered in big numbers at the venue on the opening day of the inaugural edition of the WPL.
Canadian-Punjabi rapper AP Dhillon also performed at the opening ceremony before the BCCI officials and captains of all five participating WPL franchises took centre stage to unveil the WPL trophy.
WPL 2023 Opening Ceremony Host
Actor and presenter Mandira Bedi - who is one of the most popular sports presenters in the country - was the host of the opening ceremony.
Bedi who performed anchoring duties at the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came full circle as she also got a chance to host the opening ceremony of the women's version of the cash-rich league after 16 years.
WPL 2023 Opening Game
The first match of WPL 2023 is being played between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants. Mumbai Indians - who are being led by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur - were invited to bat first by the ICC T20 2023 World Cup-winning Australia cricketer Beth Mooney, who is leading Gujarat Giants.
Captains Comments:
"It's a special day for all of us, want to enjoy this moment. This is a good wicket to bat on, but there will be something in it for the bowlers as well. We have some young players who'll be featuring today and we're looking forward to seeing how they play," said MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Gujarat Giants' skipper Beth Mooney said, "Absolutely thrilled to be part of (WPL), a big crowd and I'm loving it. We have an entertaining group, we speak a lot about cricket. We have had the experience of playing in front of a big crowd, we can pass it on to the younger members."
Sachin Tendulkar on WPL 2023 Opening Ceremony
"As the wplt20 begins, let's remember that every boundary will be broken & hit out of the park for a six, and every wicket is going to be a victory for gender equality in cricket. Let's cheer on the incredible women making her-story! All the best BCCI for organizing it. #WPL2023," tweeted cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Captains of WPL 2023 teams
Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore opted for Indian captains in Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana respectively. The other teams appointed Australian players -- Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants) and Alyssa Healy (UP Warriorz) -- in leadership roles for the opening edition.
