Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik got married

According to this video report by ANI from Hyderabad dated April 12, 2010, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik finally got married ‘at a much-hyped Nikah ceremony held in Hyderabad’. It shows Sania was wearing the same red saree, which her mother had worn at her own marriage 25 years ago and Shoaib was wearing a black sherwani designed by the designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil. Earlier today, Sania Mirza's spokesperson Rucha Nayak has confirmed ‘Shoaib and Sania would materialize their Nikah on Monday, followed by mehendi ceremony on April 13, sangeet on April 14 and the reception will be held on April 15 as scheduled’.

In what is described as another dramatic turn, the marriage was performed at a five-star hotel around 1 PM Indian Time as per Muslim customs, ahead of the earlier announced date of April 15 in the presence of a select gathering comprising only the family members of the couple. It is reported, high drama followed as Sania left her residence accompanied by her parents Imran Mirza and Naseema Mirza, and sister Anam, because reporters and cameramen from print and electronic media followed Sania's vehicle till the Nikah venue, which was kept a secret.

According to reliable sources, the marriage ceremony was a ‘very simple affair' that took only 10 minutes, and Shoaib's close relatives, including his sisters and brothers-in-law, attended the function. It is speculated that the Nikah was advanced to avoid any legal hurdles that can come up again. As reported earlier, there is already a Fatwa issued by the Sunni Ulema Board, after Shoaib settled the dispute with his first wife Ayesha Siddiqui, whom he divorced, after his initial claims that he neither knew nor married her. But after the woman filed a police case, the Pakistani cricketer had to own her and disown her by divorcing her. Any way, Shoaib's passport was confiscated by Hyderabad police, after Ayesha Siddiqui filed a complaint against the cricketer, and the police have not released the passport yet, though the case against him has been withdrawn by Ayesha after getting divorce.