The Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to kick off with defending champions England facing off against last edition’s runners-up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Leading up to the tournament, there were speculations about an opening ceremony taking place before the first match, but no official confirmation has been received from the Board of Control for Cricket in India or the International Cricket Council. At present, it seems unlikely that an opening ceremony will precede the start of the Cricket World Cup.
According to a report in the Times of India, there were no plans to hold an opening ceremony before the matches of the Cricket World Cup. A source stated, “There was never an opening ceremony planned for the World Cup. I can confirm that… 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.”
Although there won’t be an opening ceremony, the BCCI organized the Captains’ Day on the eve of the England vs New Zealand opener. During the event, all 10 captains were interviewed by former India head coach Ravi Shastri and ex-England captain Eoin Morgan.
When asked about the trend of hosting nations winning the last three World Cups, India captain Rohit Sharma downplayed its significance. He said, “Not thinking too much about that stuff, but yeah, in the last three editions, hosting teams won the World Cups. We will give our everything in this World Cup and enjoy the tournament.”
Rohit Sharma also expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming tournament, stating, “People are going to love this tournament. The stadiums will be jam-packed. Indians love their cricket. It is going to be a great tournament.”
The opening match of the Cricket World Cup will commence at 2:00 PM IST, with the toss taking place at 1:30 PM IST.