T20 World Cup Kicks Off with US-Canada Clash in Dallas; All Eyes on India-Bangladesh Warm-Up in New York

The much-anticipated T20 World Cup kicks off today in Dallas with a thrilling match between traditional rivals, the US and Canada. However, the spotlight will shift to New York, where India is set to play their only warm-up game on Saturday morning against Bangladesh. As the Indian team finalizes their playing XI for the championship, it’s the organizers who might be feeling the most pressure.

This year marks the first time the Cricket World Cup has come to New York, with the India-Bangladesh game serving as a critical dress rehearsal for the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC has made a significant investment in the new venue at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, New York. Over 7,000 tickets have been sold for the match, which will also be broadcast live on Disney Star and Hotstar in India.

“It’ll be live on Star, yes,” confirmed an official involved in the organization of the game. “Some tickets have been sold as part of the testing programme and there will be around 7,000 fans in the stadium as we continue to test the infrastructure, including scanning of accreditation and tickets, bag screening, volunteers, etc. We’ve hosted some community test events previously and had 1,000 people through the turnstiles. The stadium is ready to receive them, and the finishing touches are being applied now.”

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with a capacity of 36,000, is set to host eight games, including the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match on June 9. Post-World Cup, the stadium will be dismantled.

Meanwhile, the Indian team conducted a training session at Cantiague Park, but only four players attended. “It was an optional session, so attendance of everyone was not mandatory,” said a team official. Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Avesh Khan were seen practicing, supported by the full coaching staff led by Rahul Dravid. 

Virat Kohli, who arrived earlier on Friday morning after a long flight from India, did not attend the session. The team management is expected to decide at the ground whether Kohli will be included in the playing XI for the warm-up game.

The India-Bangladesh game is not just a test for the teams but also a significant challenge for the organizers. Ensuring smooth operations and security for such a high-profile match in a new venue is crucial. The success of this game will set the tone for the subsequent matches, including the high-stakes India-Pakistan clash.

India will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York, followed by the much-anticipated match against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. The group stage will conclude with matches in Miami, after which the team will head to the Caribbean for the Super Eight and knockout stages.

As cricket fever grips New York, fans and organizers alike are gearing up for an exciting start to the T20 World Cup.

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