It was a night where glamour met cricket. On Monday, the opening ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh T20 League was held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, with Bollywood celebrities adding star power to the event.
Singer Sunidhi Chauhan, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Disha Patani set the stage ablaze with their sizzling performances. Actors Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor also joined in, grooving to songs from their upcoming film Param Sundari.
Sunidhi Chauhan captivated the audience with hits like Desi Girl, Aa Jara Kareeb Se, Disco Deewane, and Aisa Jaadu Dala Re. She was followed by Disha Patani, Uttar Pradesh's star, who entertained the crowd with energetic numbers including Mundiyan Tu Bach Ke Rahi, Bareilly Ka Jhumka, and Slow Motion.
Tamannaah Bhatia turned up the heat with a scintillating act, dancing to Dilwalon Ke Dil Ka Karaar, Ghaghra, Jhumka Gira Re, and Tera Nasha. The evening reached its peak when she performed to Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2 (2024).
Adding to the glamour, Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra brought an extra dash of energy as they danced to tracks from their film.
However, netizens had mixed reactions to the performances, particularly those by Disha Patani and Tamannaah Bhatia. Many criticised the cricketing body for inviting Bollywood stars to dance at a sports event, calling some of the acts cringeworthy and even vulgar at times.
A user wrote, "Why don't we invite sports people to cheer up for other sports as well ....oh my bad MP's will not get money into their pocket & fame to the media... We live in India ..."
The trophy was unveiled in the presence of the six team captains, league brand ambassador and former cricketer Suresh Raina, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, UPT20 League Governing Council Chairman and UP Cricket Association Director Devendra Singh Chauhan, among other dignitaries.
Rajeev Shukla said, "UP T20 Cricket League has succeeded in highlighting the talent of Uttar Pradesh, and that's the reason we see dozens of players from the state playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL)."
