NEW DELHI: A star-studded opening ceremony kicked off the inaugural Women's Premier League to mark the game-changing moment for women's sport in India.
Stars Kiara Advani and Kriti Sanon enthralled the audiences with their mesmerizing performances on the famous Bollywood number at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai.
Indian-born Canadian singer AP Dhillon added the charm to the glittering ceremony as his electrifying performance on the stage left the crowds crazy.
Once the dancing and singing were done, BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah, and a host of other board officials were called up on the stage.
The office-bearers were followed by the captains of the five franchises -- Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Smriti Mandhana, Alyssa Healy and Harmanpreet Kaur. That was followed by the unveiling of the first-ever WPL trophy.
The WPL has generated hundreds of millions of dollars even before the first ball was bowled and found a boisterous support base in the cricket-mad nation.
Teenage fan Anshu Singh told AFP from the stands that she was excited at the prospect of a successful women's tournament to match the lucrative Indian Premier League in the years ahead.
Star-studded opening ceremony kicks off inaugural WPL
"We are very grateful to see women playing cricket at a very big level," she added.
Excited fans wearing Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants jerseys lined up outside the stadium and chanted team slogans hours before the match began.
The WPL has earned India's cricket board a shade under $700 million in franchise and media rights, making it the second-most valuable domestic women's sport competition globally after US professional basketball.
Some players will earn more for the three-week tournament than they normally would in an entire year and Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the league would benefit both cricketers and the sport.
"The young girls who have not got enough chances, for them it is a great platform where they can express themselves," she told reporters on Friday.
"I think going forward, for Indian cricket this tournament will help us to create a good team."
James Savage of the Deloitte Sports Business Group told AFP this week that the WPL was an unprecedented investment that reflected the "huge growth potential" of women's cricket.
(With AFP Inputs)