In an unprecedented move, Disney+ Hotstar has declared that it will be offering free access to the 2023 Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for mobile-only users in India. This ground-breaking decision by the streaming giant will potentially benefit more than half a billion smartphone aficionados in the nation, allowing them to enjoy top-notch cricket content without any financial burden.
The company's initiative is fundamentally rooted in the concept of democratising cricket viewership. As per the official announcement, this effort is steered towards making cricket universally accessible to as vast a mobile audience as feasible throughout the tournament season. "We are enthusiastic about the initiative to remove the paywall for our mobile-exclusive audience, which is our contribution to further democratizing the beloved game of cricket," stated the release by Disney+ Hotstar.
With a sprawling smartphone user base in India, which exceeds 540 million, the potential reach of this venture is enormous. It also echoes the popular sentiment that cricket is not just a sport but a religion in India. By offering unrestricted access to two of the most coveted cricket tournaments, Disney+ Hotstar aims to amplify this sentiment and capture a broader spectrum of the Indian audience.
Meanwhile, India announced their squad for the Asia Cup 2023, which will also act as a provisional team for the ODI World Cup. Young batter Tilak Varma, who was in prime form during his international debut in the T20I series against the West Indies earlier in August, has been added to the team.
The squad also includes recovering batters Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, while premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah will make a return to the team. Prasidh Krishna has also been added to the team after his return from injury.
The tournament commences on Wednesday, August 30, and a lot of pressure will be on Rohit Sharma and co. as the tournament will act as a precursor to the 2023 ODI World Cup in October-November.
India squad for Asia Cup 2023
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna
Reserve player: Sanju Samson.
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