Mumbai: Amid mixed predictions on the outcome of Britain's historic referendum on leaving or remaining in the European Union (EU), key Indian equity indices opened sharply lower on Friday and drifted lower, with barely two hours left for the actual result, awaited anxiously the world over.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which had closed on Thursday at 27,002.22 points, opened the next morning at 26367.48 points. Some 15 minutes into trading, it was ruling at 26,268.85 points, down 733.37 points, or 2.72 per cent.