The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday released the official anthem for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup. Titled ‘Live the Game’, the campaign video features animated ‘avatars’ of Virat Kohli, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard, Afghanistan’s mainstay Rashid Khan and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

‘Live the Game is composed by Indian music director Amit Trivedi. The anthem showcases young fans from all over the world play with their favourite players. Indian skipper Virat Kohli leads the group of players brought to life as ‘avatars’ in the animation.

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The 32-year-old, who announced that he will be stepping down as India’s T20 skipper after the World Cup, is joined by Mumbai Indians colleague Kieron Pollard, Glenn Maxwell and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan.

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“The avatar animation featured a brand-new broadcast technology that blends both 3D and 2D effects – it involved a production team of over 40 people, including designers, modellers, matte painters, animators, lighters, and compositors,” ICC said. 

Talking about the anthem, Kieron Pollard said,”T20I cricket has proven time and time again that it can engage fans of all ages, and I’m excited to bring some fireworks to the stadiums in the UAE and for those watching all over the world.”

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The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will begin on 17 October in Oman and UAE, with the final to be played in Dubai on 14 November.

 “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 calibre of players we have,” Glenn Maxwell said.