T20 World Cup 2026: Nora Fatehi, Badshah among others to feature in star-studded opening ceremony

The much-awaited T20 World Cup 2026 begins tomorrow, February 7, with Pakistan taking on Netherlands in the opening game of the tournament at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Hosts India will take the field later in the day, as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will play the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of that, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has planned a star-studded opening ceremony. 

The program will begin at 6 pm IST with a musical medley from Rishab Sharma and Shivamani before the T20 World Cup enters the stadium. After which, ICC chair Jay Shah and T20 World Cup 2026 ambassador Rohit Sharma will enter the ground, accompanied by 20 children representing every participating country and will go on to declare the tournament open.

After that event, rapper Badshah will take over the stage for his performance before Nora Fatehi entertains the crowd with her dance. Fireworks will follow after their performance ends and soon after that, both the Indian and USA team will perform their national anthems. Meanwhile, ICC in their official communication, requested the fans to arrive early to catch the performances live.

Match to begin at 7 pm IST

After the program ends, the live-profile action will begin at 7 pm IST. Meanwhile, ahead of the tournament, India suffered a huge blow as Harshit Rana is reportedly ruled out of the tournament. The ace pacer suffered a knee injury in the warm-up clash against South Africa and is likely to be replaced by Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, there’s no update on Washington Sundar at the moment. 

On the other hand, India captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that Ishan Kishan will open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma. The keeper-batter cemented his spot in the playing XI after a century against New Zealand in the fifth T20I and then a flamboyant knock against the Proteas in the warm-up game.