India vs Australia Cricket World Cup final pre-game show to feature Dua Lipa and air force flypast

There was no opening ceremony ahead of first game of cricket tournament, but hosts India are pulling out all the stops for final in which they are favourites

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 finale between India and Australia on Sunday will feature performances by Dua Lipa and an aerial show by the Indian Air Force.

The high-profile match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, and will have several VIPs attending, including the Indian and Australian prime ministers.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also sent out invites to all the former World Cup-winning captains, including Indian cricketing legends MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev. Other high-profile invitees include veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.

Star Sports recently teased fans with a video on X, featuring popstar Dua Lipa.

In the video, cricketers like Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Kane Williamson are seen asking Lipa about her potential song choice for the ceremony.

The Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran team will put on a show for the World Cup final. Aircraft will light up Ahmedabad city’s skies in a rare show for the audience.

It is still not known if the festivities will be a part of an official closing ceremony.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to make an announcement about any closing ceremony.

There was no ceremony held for the opening fixture of the tournament, which was also played at the Narendra Modi Stadium but did not include India.

At the same venue, however, the BCCI organised a small ceremony ahead of India’s first match of the tournament – against Pakistan in the group stages on 14 October.

The ceremony was meant only for the audience present at the stadium and was not televised. It included performances from several high-profile Indian singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Arijit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh.

It is unclear whether the pre-game show for the final will be broadcast as part of Star Sports’ match coverage or streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, are yet to lose a game in the World Cup, while Australia is the most successful team in the history of the tournament as they have won the trophy five times before.