ICC World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony: Event called off, or still on? Here's all we know

ICC World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony: The World Cup 2023 opening ceremony, which was all set to be a glitzy and glam affair complete with Bollywood stars and musicians has reportedly been cancelled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). According to reports, the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 will not have an opening ceremony, but ZeeBiz.com couldn't independently verify these reports. However, fans can remain hopeful as the BCCI hasn't yet officially announced anything related to it.

Several reports have stated that the opening ceremony for the mega event will not take place even after BCCI had planned out an elaborate and lavish opening ceremony earlier. The ceremony was supposed to be held on October 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with a reported star-studded line-up of Ranveer Singh, Arijit Singh, Tamannaah Bhatia, Shreya Ghoshal, and Asha Bhosle, accompanied by fireworks and a laser show display.

However, the Captains’ Day event which was to be held after the opening ceremony remains on schedule, as per the reports. All the 10 captains of the participating teams including Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will be present for the event which will be followed by a laser display.

ICC World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony: Captains of the participating teams

• India: Rohit Sharma
• Pakistan: Babar Azam
• England: Jos Buttler
• Australia: Pat Cummins
• New Zealand: Kane Williamson
• Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka
• Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan
• Netherlands: Scott Edwards
• South Africa: Temba Bavuma
• Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi

There are also reports suggesting that the BCCI is considering organising a function ahead of the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Moreover, BCCI might also organise a closing ceremony on the day of the final, which is Sunday, November 19, in Ahmedabad. 

India will be starting their World Cup campaign on Sunday, October 8, against Australia in Chennai. India, with such an in-form squad and a home advantage, is expected to go all the way in this tournament and end their drought of ICC titles since their Champions Trophy win back in 2013.

ICC World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony: All Squads

Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

Bangladesh Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, 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.

Netherlands Squad: Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.

New Zealand Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.

South Africa Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.

Sri Lanka Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha

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