Political concerns indeed seem to have governed the choice of the venues of the World Cup since the well-known Punjab cricket-ground, Mohali, which successfully hosted memorable World Cup matches in 1996 and 2011, had not been given a single match this time. It has been alleged too that in addition to hosting the opening and final matches, the Narendra Modi Stadium had been allotted high-profile matches such as India-Pakistan and Australia-England so that the name “Modi” consistently catches the spotlight throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, it is also that venue where a Pakistani player Mohammed Rizwan was heckled by some Indian fans who chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as Rizwan was going back to the pavilion after getting dismissed by Bumrah. The Indian government also delayed issuing visas for the Pakistan team which resulted in Pakistan scrapping plans for a two-day training camp in Dubai. In fact, it has also been alleged that because of the support that Kapil Dev (the skipper of the first World Cup-winning Indian team) gave to the dissenting Indian wrestlers, he was not invited to the final of the tournament. The saffron colour of the new jersey of the Indian cricket team (despite its smart look) has also been questioned as no Indian cricket team had been given a jersey of this colour previously. Modi’s entry into the dressing room with a camera after the defeat in the final, cricket researchers have argued, is an assault on the sanctity of that space. ICC rules also do not permit such an action. The video of the Prime Minister consoling the players has also gone viral. It has allegedly been done only to promote the image of the Prime Minister as a motivational guru.