The ICC on Thursday launched the official anthem of the upcoming T20 World Cup along with a campaign film featuring animated ‘avatars’ of cricketers Virat Kohli of India, Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, Kieron Pollard of West Indies, and Glenn Maxwell of Australia.

The T20 World Cup 2021 which was to be played in India, had to be shifted to the UAE and Oman due to the COVID situation in India. Now the ace T20 tournament begins on October 17 in Oman and UAE, with the final to be played in Dubai on November 14.

The animated campaign features a song composed by Bollywood music director Amit Trivedi and sees young fans from all over the world engaged in T20I cricket and includes some of the sport’s biggest superstars. India captain Kohli leads the group of players brought to life as ‘avatars’.

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He is then joined by Kieron Pollard, Glenn Maxwell, and Rashid Khan. Launched in collaboration with ICC’s global broadcast partner Star Sports, the film premiers worldwide on Thursday across ICC, BCCI, and Star Sports’ social media handles.

“There is something magical and special about putting on the West Indies jersey and stepping onto the field. This upcoming World Cup will give us more special moments. We know our fans will be fully engaged, watching, and supporting and we want to give them plenty to cheer about,” Pollard told ICC.

“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is going to be one of the toughest and most exciting on record. There are so many teams that could take the trophy and every game will be like a final. We can’t wait to get started knowing the caliber of players we have,” Glenn Maxwell told ICC.

The opening fixture of the tournament takes place on October 17 as Oman takes on men’s T20 World Cup debutants Papua New Guinea at Muscat’s Oman Cricket Academy.

(PTI inputs)