BCCI Preventing Backlash? Bollywood Gala Before India-Pakistan Match Not Televised

After outrage over the grand ceremony planned ahead of the India-Pakistan match in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi stadium, the broadcaster announced that the event will not be televised.

The pre-match ceremony was organised by the BCCI before the India vs Pakistan clash in the Cricket World Cup 2023.

The event saw performances of singers like Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan and Arijit Singh.

This grand ceremony, initially scheduled to commence at 12:30 pm on Saturday, preceded the toss in Ahmedabad.

However, the broadcast of the pre-match show did not start on time.

After a few minutes, Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the World Cup in India, released a statement on social media website X (formerly known as Twitter), and informed that the ceremony was only for the stadium audience.

"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!," the broadcaster said on X.

This comes as BCCI's decision to hold the event was being criticised in light of the recent terror activities of Pakistan where Indian soldiers lost their lives.

Also, this was a special ceremony for the match, as no other matches witnessed a musical event before the start. However, some reports are defended the decision saying that the event is compensation as there was no opening ceremony for the tournament.