Indian tennis star Sania Mirza married former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik on Monday, just days after the controversial union was almost derailed by claims of a previous marriage.

Pakistan's former cricket captain Shoaib Malik, left, and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza pose during their marriage ceremony in Hyderabad, India, on Monday. (Mohammed Abdul Haq, Mirza family/Associated Press)

The ceremony took place in a hotel at Mirza's hometown of Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, said Rucha Naik, a spokeswoman for Mirza's family.

"Just now the nikah [Muslim marriage ceremony] has been performed. Please pray for the couple," Naik told reporters.

The union of two of South Asia's best-known sports personalities came amid a controversy caused by another Indian woman, Ayesha Siddique, who claimed she was already married to Malik.

In her complaint, Siddique alleged that Malik married her in June 2002 and accused him of subjecting her to cruelty and harassment by denying that the wedding took place and by trying to marry another woman.

Siddique's mother, Farisa Siddique, said her daughter's only demand was a divorce from Malik. The Siddique family withdrew the police complaint after Muslim elders brokered a divorce between the pair last week and cleared the way for the wedding.

Mirza was dressed in a traditional red sari that her mother wore at her own wedding 25 years ago, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Both Mirza and Malik will now be based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, but continue to represent their countries in their respective sports, Mirza's father Imran Mirza said.

Earlier this month, Siddique filed a police complaint against Malik over his plans to wed Mirza.

It's not the first time that a Pakistani cricketer has married a high-profile Indian woman.

Former test batsman Mohsin Khan, now Pakistan chief selector, married Indian actress Reena Roy in the 1980s. The marriage later broke down.