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Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur with Honey Singh successful the mediate (Screengrab)
NEW DELHI: The opening lucifer of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 had fans talking adjacent earlier the archetypal shot was bowled connected Friday. After the flip astatine the DY Patil Stadium successful Navi Mumbai, the opening ceremonial got underway and rapidly grabbed everyone’s attention.The ceremonial began with a show by Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, followed by Jacqueline Fernandez, who kept the assemblage entertained.
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The biggest surprise, however, came erstwhile fashionable rapper Honey Singh made his entry. His accomplishment instantly drew the spotlight, particularly due to the fact that some squad captains, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, were seated close adjacent to him.While the infinitesimal looked glamorous connected screen, the captains seemed caught off-guard.As Honey Singh appeared, some Mandhana and Harmanpreet stood up but appeared unsure of what to bash next. Harmanpreet began clapping on to the music, portion Mandhana stood inactive with her hands folded for a fewer seconds earlier awkwardly joining in. The little infinitesimal rapidly went viral connected societal media.Watch:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru had already won the flip and chose to vessel archetypal against defending champions Mumbai Indians. This is the archetypal clip the WPL is being played successful the January–February window.After the toss, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana explained her determination and named the overseas players for the match.
“Dew plays a immense relation astatine this venue, particularly successful the 2nd half, and it’s a crushed wherever conditions tin alteration quickly. We privation to vessel choky lines aboriginal and restrict the opposition. It’s been amazing," she said.“The girls person gelled truly well. It’s a young group, the overseas players person settled successful nicely, and it’s been a amusive environment. Everyone’s worked highly hard, and we’re truly excited to get started."Mumbai Indians, who person won the rubric twice, volition miss all-rounder Hayley Matthews owed to illness.MIW vs RCBW Playing XIs:Mumbai Indians: Nat Sciver-Brunt, G Kamalini (wk), Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajeevan Sajana, and Saika IshaqueRoyal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Grace Harris, Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Linsey Smith, and Lauren Bell
