T20 World Cup To Begin With Star-Studded Opening Ceremony

KEY POINTS

The T20 World Cup opens on February 7 with a triple-header across India and Sri Lanka.
A gala opening ceremony in Mumbai will feature a jetpack trophy delivery and musical performances.
The expanded 20-team tournament will see 55 matches, concluding with the final on March 8 in Ahmedabad.
Defending champions India are in Group A with rivals Pakistan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia.

ISLAMABAD: The tenth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will commence with a high-octane opening day on February 7, featuring three matches across India and Sri Lanka before a star-studded ceremony in Mumbai officially launches the global tournament.

The action begins with a triple-header. Pakistan will face the Netherlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in first fixture, followed by the West Indies taking on Scotland in Kolkata, India. The day’s final match will see the defending champions, India, open their campaign against the USA in Mumbai.

Surprisingly, the tournament’s official opening ceremony has been scheduled to precede this third match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, rather than the day’s first game.

Ceremony to herald expanded tournament

The 20-team tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will see 55 matches contested across multiple venues, culminating in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8. Defending champions India headline Group A, which also includes Pakistan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia.

The official opening ceremony in Mumbai will begin at 6:00 PM IST. It is set to feature a dynamic musical performance by artists Rishab Sharma and Shivamani. The centerpiece will be the dramatic arrival of the ICC T20 World Cup trophy, delivered into the stadium by a jetpack performer.

The trophy will be received by ICC Chairman Jay Shah and former Indian captain Rohit Sharma. They will be joined by 20 young ambassadors, each representing one of the competing nations, in a symbolic gesture to officially inaugurate the tournament. Attendance at the ceremony is restricted to ticket holders for the India vs. USA match, with fans encouraged to arrive early.

Global fight for the trophy

This landmark tenth edition brings together an expanded field of twenty teams, split into four groups, all vying for the sport’s most coveted prize in the shortest format.

The opening day’s blend of crucial early matches and celebratory spectacle sets the stage for a month of elite cricketing competition across the subcontinent.