World Cup 2023 Kicks Off Today with No Opening Ceremony: Find Out Why

ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to begin today, with defending champions England set to face last edition’s runners-up New Zealand in the opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Although some reports of the opening ceremony being held had surfaced a few days ago, there was no official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council. The way the situation is, it does not seem that any opening ceremony will be organized before the start of the Cricket World Cup.

According to a report in Times of India, it was never planned to hold the opening ceremony before the start of the Cricket World Cup matches.

The Times of India quoted a source as saying, “The opening ceremony was never planned for the World Cup. I can confirm this.”

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

Although no opening ceremony has been scheduled, the BCCI organized Captain’s Day on the eve of the England vs New Zealand opener. In the program, all 10 captains were questioned by former India head coach Ravi Shastri and former England captain Eoin Morgan.

The Indian cricket team will have to overcome immense pressure during the World Cup being held at home and captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said that now is the time to stay in isolation and focus on the target.

Rohit said during ICC’s ‘Captain Day’ program, “I know what is at stake. Players who are part of the team know what is at stake. It’s time for us to forget everything else and focus on what we want as a team.”