‘Aakhir wo din aa hi gaya’ – Fans react as Star Sports set to telecast World Cup schedule announcement ceremony

On Tuesday, June 27, the Indian Cricket Board and Apex Cricket Council are set to announce the schedule for the upcoming World Cup 2023. The draft schedule has been approved by all participating nations, which means there will be no or a slight change in the proposed schedule.

Along with several World Cup-winning cricketers and other officials, Indian Cricket Board will announce the schedule in a major event in Mumbai today. The event will also start the World Cup trophy tour and mark 100 days before the start of the prestigious event. Meanwhile, official broadcaster Star Sports has announced that they will telecast the whole event on various social media platforms, including the brand’s OTT platform.

It’s worth noting that this year’s World Cup trophy will embark on a massive journey today. The cup will visit 18 nations, including India, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, the USA, Nigeria, Uganda, France, Italy, and other participating nations. Notably, before the start of the journey, the Apex Cricket Council attached the trophy to a stratospheric balloon to launch it into space. It created history by doing so, as it became the first sporting event to send its trophy into space.

What is India’s tentative schedule?

According to the draft schedule prepared by the Indian Cricket Board, India will start their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 at Chepauk in Chennai. It will be followed by facing Afghanistan in Delhi, Pakistan in Ahmedabad, Bangladesh in Pune, New Zealand in Dharamshala, England in Lucknow, a qualifier in Mumbai, South Africa in Kolkata, and another Qualifier in Bengaluru.

It’s worth noting that, apart from the Pakistan Cricket Board, not a single participating nation reported or asked to make changes to the tentative schedule. The PCB believes that India knowingly picked difficult venues for Pakistan’s games. PCB believes that Pakistan should face Australia in Chennai instead of Afghanistan, and vice-versa in Bengaluru. However, the Apex Cricket Council and Indian Cricket Board reportedly didn’t entertain their demand and didn’t make these changes.

Here is how fans reacted to the announcement of WC23 fixtures: