Earlier this year in April, the BCCI had a huge ceremony to celebrate the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which had performances from several big Bollywood stars.

And while organisers have not officially ruled out an opening ceremony on Thursday, The Times of India quoted a source as saying there were never any plans to hold one for the 2023 World Cup.

“In the case of the IPL, you can have a short opening ceremony, as the match starts in the evening. Here, the match starts in the afternoon,” said the source quoted by the newspaper.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson during practice at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad

Some reports suggested the BCCI had earlier planned a star-studded opening ceremony in Ahmedabad on the eve of the World Cup, but that these plans were eventually abandoned.

The ceremony, as per the reports, would have featured well-known Bollywood celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Arijit Singh, Tamannaah Bhatia, Shreya Ghoshal and Asha Bhosle.

The star-studded event was planned to have begun after the Captains’ Day event at the Narendra Modi Stadium and included fireworks and a laser show.

The first game of the tournament – England vs New Zealand – is a repeat of the final of the last edition in 2019. England, then led by Eoin Morgan, defeated the Black Caps in the final on a boundary count to clinch their maiden 50-Over World Cup.

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Jos Buttler’s English side will aim to become just the third side to defend their Cricket World Cup title after the West Indies and Australia.

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