Harnaaz, Jacqueline, Honey Singh shine in WPL’s glitzy opening ceremony

Navi Mumbai: The fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) began with a star-studded opening ceremony at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday, with Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Honey Singh adding glitz to the pre-match entertainment.

Harnaaz, the Miss Universe 2021 winner and actor, opened the evening with a monologue celebrating women’s achievements across India, declaring, ‘We are ready’ to set the tone for her performance. Jacqueline followed it up with a high-energy performance of her popular film songs, drawing the attention of a massive crowd of fans with her stage presence and dance moves.

Rapper-singer Honey Singh lit up the venue with a mix of his latest hits and classics, and even began the set by being between MI and RCB captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who seemed to have been caught off-guard by the move.

Walking towards the stage in his usual style, Singh made the electrifying crowd groove to his songs like ‘Millionaire,’ 'Lungi Dance' and ‘Blue Eyes.’ The trio later came together on stage to close the opening ceremony and were cheered on by fans. The first leg of WPL 2026 will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai before moving to Kotmabi Stadium in Vadodara, which will also host the knockouts.

Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet, are the most successful side with two titles and are currently the reigning champions too, while Mandhana’s RCB won the 2024 edition. Delhi Capitals, runners-up in all three previous seasons, will again be aiming to break their title drought. IANS

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