The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has been going on in Australia for a week now, but for us, the action is about to kick into high gear this weekend, when Team India will play their first match. India will kickstart its T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday, October 23.
Anticipation for India’s first outing in Melbourne is naturally running high. As much as some of us would like to have a ringside seat to what promises to be an exciting face-off, what’s likelier is us screaming our lungs out at our TVs in our living rooms. If you want to participate proactively in this weekend’s India-Pakistan match – and indeed, the entire T20 World Cup – here are six ways you can do it.
1. Stream it at home
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is streaming live on Disney+Hotstar and Star Sports channels. This Sunday’s match between India and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will begin live-streaming at 1.30 pm.
2. Download the ICC app
The International Cricket Council has been paying greater attention to ramping up its digital coverage of international cricketing tournaments through interesting activations on its app (available for Android and iOS) to drive engagement. This year, for the T20 World Cup in Australia, the app boasts features such as 360-degree visualisation of the tournament’s biggest sixes in the match centre; live fielding positions from Sportradar (ICC’s official data supplier); a new vertical video experience powered by AI-generated match highlights; and for some matches, a “Big Time” immersive AR experience.
3. Go behind the scenes with your favourite comedians
Watch Bangalore comedian Danish Sait get the “exclusive” with the Indian and Bangladesh cricket team; RJ Karishma coaching South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada in talking to your “desi girlfriend’s parents” in Hindi; and Shubham Gaur (Hostel Daze) bonding with Afghan cricketing legend Rashid Khan over bananas after watching Tere Naam for the 100th time. As part of ICC’s digital push, a raft of comedians has been shipped to Australia to hang out with their heroes and create non-match content in this collaboration with Meta. Watch them play the jester on Facebook and Instagram Reels (and question your life choices).
4. Deploy your cricket obsession in building fantasy teams
Do you have a strong hunch about who could be the game changers of the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 match this Sunday? Prove your analytical skills and knowledge of cricket by building your own fantasy team. There’s a surfeit of gaming apps that allow you to do this now, from the popular Dream11 to My11Circle (with Saurav Ganguly as brand ambassador), My Team 11 (promoted by Virender Sehwag and cricket presenter Jatin Sapru) and Mobile Premier League (with which Virat Kohli is associated).
On Dream11, prizes being given away include Audi cars, the finals’ signed stump, a signed captain bat, a signed team bat and more. While My11Circle is touting an SUV car as its “first prize” —not to mention major moolah waiting to be raked in.
5. Watch it in a theatre near you
Last year, it was PVR; and this year it is INOX cinemas that has partnered with ICC to screen matches in its multiplexes. INOX will showcase all group matches to be played by Team India, in more than 25 cities. Tickets for the India-Pakistan match on Sunday – starting at 1 pm – are live on BookMyShow; which, FYI, is also showing limited screening options in PVR and Cinepolis theatres across cities.
6. Go to a sports bar and make a day out of it
There’s nothing quite like match day at your favourite neighbourhood pub with friends, and strangers, accompanied by a bucket of beer and a few rounds of pizza. There are a bunch of sports bars and cafes in India’s biggest cities hosting live screenings of the T20 World Cup matches, with special packages to keep the party lit.
Bars and cafes screening T20 World Cup matches pan-India
At all-day bar and cafe SOCIAL outlets across India, the special T20 menu has been reintroduced. Watch the matches cast on walls in a stadium-like atmosphere, and munch on hors d'oeuvres named after cricketers – Hitman’s Cheese Masala Pao, K.L.’s Onion Samosa, Joe’s Root Burger, De Kock Biryani – and cocktails. On October 23, they’ve even got dhol walas and face painters in the house to really get the party going.
Entertainment arena SMAAASH is offering draught beer packages to go with their live screenings. The Bar Stock Exchange outlets open at noon this Sunday for its live screening – they’re offering bottles at a bargain: such as a Samsara Pink Gin bottle with tonic water at Rs 6,000.
In Mumbai
In Mumbai’s Nariman Point, Sassy Spoon is hosting a special screening along with their Sunday brunch, beginning 12 pm on October 23.
The only reason to be in Colaba on a Sunday might be to hang at Havana’s, the legendary pub inside Gordon House Hotel, for its gigantic screen and very nice happy hours.
If you’re not fussed about catching the action live, but do want to stay in the loop, you could head out to the English-style pub Geoffrey’s in Marine Plaza in the evening, where cricket and football are constantly playing on their wall-mounted TVs – and where the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is said to have hung out after a hard day’s work.
And regardless of whether you’re in the mood to celebrate (or commiserate) post-match, do it at Virat Kohli’s new restaurant One8 Commune, housed in Kishore Kumar’s former home in Juhu.
In Delhi
In Delhi-NCR, you are spoilt for choice for sports bars that are screening T20 World Cup matches. Take your squad to Yes Minister in Adhchini, to enjoy the match with a side of bowling and PS gaming. Or go down memory lane by taking over a booth or two at popular college-hangout Pebble Street in New Friends Colony, still one of the best spaces for live sports in the capital, which is hosting a special screening for the October 23 match. If you want to keep the adrenaline high through the day, try bar-hopping across sports bars in Aerocity. Hit up Quoin at Novotel, Aerocity SOCIAL, Underdoggs and LIV Bar: Sunday done right.
In Bengaluru
Every corner of the IT capital of India will bleed blue this Sunday. Pair your match day with a boozy brunch at the Royal Orchid Hotel in Indiranagar, which is hosting an open-air screening of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match in their gardens. RCB Cafe on Church Street, the (OG) Studs Sports Bar & Grill in JP Nagar, Gawky Goose on Old Airport Road, and many other spots in the city of pubs and breweries have got screenings planned alongside special offers, packages and menus.
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