"There'd be nothing greater": Abhishek Bachchan on India winning T20 WC at home
Sydney, January 21
Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan expressed hope for India's ICC T20 World Cup win, saying that "there would be nothing greater" than Men in Blue successfully defending their title on home soil.
Abhishek spoke to ANI on the sidelines of the launch of the first three franchises of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), a league which he has co-founded and will start in the summer of 2026. The first three franchises of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) were announced on Wednesday in Sydney as Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast. The league is officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the team owners were also announced during a press conference in Sydney, staged against the iconic backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Speaking during a virtual interaction with ANI, Abhishek said about India's T20 World Cup chances, "India jeetega (India will win). Fingers crossed. Prayers going up. Hope we win it on home soil. There would be nothing greater."
The action has been allotted to eight stadiums across India and Sri Lanka, including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kandy, and Colombo.
This marks the 10th edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, marking the return of the tournament to India for the first time since 2016, which was won by the West Indies.
India is a part of Group A with arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA and will start their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7. The clash with arch-rivals Pakistan will take place at Colombo on February 15.
If Team India pulls off a successful title defence, they will become the first team to defend their T20 WC title, and this will mark their third T20 WC trophy, making them the most successful team in the tournament's history.
India T20 WC squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The squad looks strong, but I'm a bit worried about the middle order consistency. Hope the boys handle the pressure, especially in that high-voltage match against Pakistan in Colombo.
Interesting to see Bollywood and cricket merging with this new European league. Good initiative by Abhishek. As a neutral observer, hoping for a great tournament with competitive cricket.
Nothing would make me prouder! My family is already planning watch parties for every match. The India-Pakistan match date is marked in red on our calendar. Fingers crossed!
While the sentiment is great, I wish celebrities would also talk about improving domestic cricket infrastructure. Winning at home is fantastic, but building a sustainable system is greater.
The European T20 league sounds exciting! Cricket needs to grow globally. Best of luck to India for the World Cup – the passion of Indian fans is truly unmatched.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.