The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not have an opening ceremony before the commencement of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which began on October 5 with a clash between defending champions England and runner-ups New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Now, multiple reports claim that the BCCI is organising a special ceremony before India's showdown with archrival Pakistan on Saturday at the stadium. (Schedule | Full Coverage)
Indian film icons Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar will attend the event. The superstars have already been given the World Cup 'Golden Ticket' for this huge clash a few days ago by BCCI secretary Jay Shah personally, reports claimed. Arijit Singh is expected to perform before the start of the game. Earlier this year, the celebrated singer also performed at the Indian Premier League (IPL) opening ceremony.
The BCCI has allocated an additional 14,000 tickets for the India versus Pakistan match due to high demand. Given that the Narendra Modi Stadium has a seating capacity of over one lakh, a sold-out crowd is expected for what promises to be a spectacular contest this Saturday.
India played Australia in their World Cup opener game and restricted them to 199 runs after being asked to bowl first. Indian batting unit was once struggling after quick early wickets but veteran Virat Kohli and KL Rahul managed to take India through the pressure situation and won the match by 6 wickets. In the second clash of the tournament, India faced Afghanistan. Afghan batters played well and gave a target of 273 runs after a captain's knock of Hahmatulah Shahidi. India chased down the target with 8 wickets and 15 overs remaining. Now, the enthusiastic Indian squad will take on Pakistan in their third match of the competition on Saturday.
It's pertinent to mention that the World Cup opening ceremony was initially planned for October 4, with a 7 PM (local) start time, soon after a 'Captains' Day' event at the Narendra Modi Stadium. While the Captains' Day event still went ahead, no opening ceremony was held.
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 tournament.
