8 months ago
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GUWAHATI
The opening ceremonial for the Women’s ODI World Cup has been toned down arsenic Assam continues to mourn the death of iconic singer-composer Zubeen Garg, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket successful India (BCCI), Devajit Saikia said connected Friday (September 26, 2025).
The inaugural lucifer betwixt co-hosts India and Sri Lanka would beryllium held connected September 30 astatine Guwahati’s Barsapara cricket stadium, 1 of 5 wherever the tourney volition beryllium held till November 2. The different venues are Indore, Navi Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam successful India, and Colombo successful Sri Lanka.
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Addressing journalists on with Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Secretary Tridib Konwar astatine Barsapara, Mr Saikia said the BCCI and ACA had expansive plans for the opening ceremonial earlier September 19, the time Garg died successful Singapore nether mysterious circumstances.
“We decided to chopped the frills and marque it a solemn 40-minute programme dedicated to the legendary Zubeen Garg. Renowned playback vocalist Shreya Ghosal is besides scheduled to sing arsenic a tribute to Garg during the interruption of the inaugural match,” Mr Saikia said.
He besides said the ACA purchased 5,000 tickets, priced ₹100 each, to beryllium distributed to Garg fans connected a first-come-first-serve basis. These tickets would beryllium disposable astatine the Guwahati Sports Association bureau successful the Nehru Stadium analyzable connected September 29.
“The World Cup, the biggest planetary cricket tourney to beryllium held successful Guwahati, is expected to make involvement successful cricket among girls crossed the northeast. Popularising the crippled successful smaller municipality centres and distant areas is the motive down the BCCI’s determination to gradually determination marquee matches to non-tier 1 cities,” Mr Saikia said, adding that Navi Mumbai was chosen arsenic a venue specifically for logistical reasons.
He besides said the BCCI has invited each the captains of the Indian women’s cricket teams since 1975 for the inaugural match. “We program to felicitate them for representing the state and encouraging girls to instrumentality up cricket professionally,” helium said.
The erstwhile Team India skippers who person confirmed their information are Shubhangi Kuklarni, Nilima Joglekar, Sandhya Agarwal, Mamatha Maben, Shantha Rangaswamy, Purnima Rau, Chandrakanta Kaul, Anju Jain, Pramila Bhatt, Anjum Chopra, and Mithali Raj.
West Bengal’s Rumeli Dhar and Jhulan Goswami are expected to be immoderate of the 4 different matches to beryllium hosted successful Guwahati.
Neetu David, the 2nd Indian pistillate cricketer to beryllium inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame aft Diana Edulji, volition besides beryllium felicitated during the inaugural match.
