Bhubaneswar, May 13: T-20 cricket and glamour appear to walk hand-in-hand. If IPL attracted the hottest stars from Bollywood, the Orissa Premier League (OPL), is on par at attracting celebrities from all over the state.

First, actor Anubhav Mohanty was roped in as the brand ambassador for OPL by the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) on Wednesday. During the bidding process on Friday, other celebrities joined the bandwagon.

Model, television host and album actress Pinky Pradhan was seen raising the bidding placard for Cooperative Challengers, Dhenkanal.

Similarly, leading Oriya film actress Archita Sahu was seen in the JSP Sparks, Jagatsinghpur, dug-out in the bidding hub. Archita, too, was busy advising members of the team on the selection of cricketers.

“I’m a huge cricket fan and I’m glad we got a strong team. With players like Subhit Biswal on our side, we will definitely give a tough contest to the opponents,” said Archita. “I’m delighted to be involved in the event so closely and I look forward to the cricket gala,” she added.

Ashirbad Behera, secretary of Orissa Cricket Association, believes the involvement of film stars and other celebrities will help popularise the event.

“Just like IPL has become glamorous with the entry of film stars, we wish to make OPL attractive through the involvement of Oriya celebrities. They are doing it for free as a goodwill gesture and that shows their love for the game,” said Behera.

Models such as Sunita Garabadu and Aishwarya were also seen during the bidding on Friday.