ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 To Have No Opening Ceremony: Reports

The 2023 ODI World Cup will have no opening ceremony, as per multiple reports. It was earlier reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had planned a gala opening ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 4, that is the evening before the quadrennial tournament kicks off. The ceremony was supposed to feature Bollywood celebrities such as actors Ranveer Singh and Tamannaah Bhatia, and singers Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal and Asha Bhosle. It was also expected to include fireworks and a laser show to mark the beginning of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. (Full Coverage | Schedule | Cricket News)

The star-studded opening ceremony was scheduled to commence at 7pm IST, soon after a 'Captains' Day' event at the Narendra Modi Stadium. While the Captains' Day event is still on, there has been no official announcement regarding the cancellation of the opening ceremony.

All the captains of the teams participating in the 50-over World Cup, including Team India captain Rohit Sharma, will be present in Ahmedabad for the Captain's Day celebration.

One of the most eagerly awaited matches of the tournament will take place on October 14, when India and Pakistan lock horns in Ahmedabad. While India are heading into the World Cup on the back of the Asia Cup triumph and a 2-1 series win against Australia, Pakistan have not been as consistent lately, losing to India comprehensively in the Asia Cup and suffering a 14-run defeat to Australia in their World Cup warm-up clash on Tuesday.

India squad for WC: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.