Overview
- ICC chairman Jay Shah gifted Indian cricket jerseys and a commemorative bat to Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, along with invitations for the 2026 T20 World Cup and tickets for the India vs USA game at Wankhede.
- Roughly 25,000 attended at Arun Jaitley Stadium as Messi took a lap, kicked balls into the stands and engaged with youth players from Minerva Academy.
- A fog delay pushed Messi’s charter flight into the afternoon, shifting the Delhi program by about 90 minutes.
- Following Kolkata’s security breakdown and the organiser’s custody, the capital enforced stricter protocols, with a reported closed-door VIP meet-and-greet priced at INR 1 crore.
- Earlier stops included a smoother Mumbai event featuring Bollywood attendees and a Hyderabad appearance focused on brief fan interactions.