India vs Pakistan: Pre-match ceremony not telecasted; BCCI faces flak from fans

The India vs Pakistan World Cup 2023 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad Saturday kicked off with a grand opening ceremony that included performances from Bollywood musicians and singers including Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sukhwinder Singh and Arijit Singh. However, the pre-match ceremony was not telecasted as TV and online audiences missed out.

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If you are wondering why the pre-match ceremony was not broadcast, here is the reason. Moments after the pre-match ceremony began at 12.30 PM IST, Star Sports, the official broadcaster for the World Cup, shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the pre-match ceremony would not be broadcast as it was only for the stadium audience.

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“The pre-match ceremony for the #INDvPAK game today will not be televised as it is only for the stadium audience. We have you covered for the rest- the match, the highlights & everything in between,” Star Sports said on X.

The pre-match ceremony for the #INDvPAK game today will not be televised as it is only for the stadium audience. We have you covered for the rest- the match, the highlights & everything in between!

Tune-in to #INDvPAK in the #WorldCupOnStar
LIVE NOW | Star Sports Network pic.twitter.com/XOVcJoTrma

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 14, 2023

The decision to hold a pre-match ceremony just for the India vs Pakistan game and not for the opening match of the World Cup and later to not telecast the ceremony did not go down well with the fans.

The fans expressed their displeasure on X as they slammed BCCI for its handling of the matter.

Big blow to fans at home: Opening ceremony ahead of IND vs PAK clash to not be telecast live!

— Syed Murad Ali (@SyedMuradAlii) October 14, 2023

The opening ceremony for the Ind vs Pak match, all the song n dance performance, is now only for the stadium fans, it won’t be broadcast on TV.

Hahahhahahahahahaha. Twitter impact

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) October 14, 2023

no pre-match ceremony for fans outside narendra modi stadium….!!!!

ICC WC opening ceremony ❌ Ind vs Pak opening ceremony ✅
….!!! #INDvsPAK #ViratKohli #WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/lxWeKBU5qJ

— Shinchannn (@insanelybot21) October 14, 2023

Why this opening ceremony for Ind pak match.

What’s wrong with BCCI. Shameless

— Varun Bahl (@bahl65) October 14, 2023

Coming to the big match. India won the toss and decided to bowl first with Shubman Gill coming into the playing XI in place of Ishan Kishan.

India playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf