"Bheem vs Aliens" - fans react hilariously as BCCI and ICC send World Cup 2023 Trophy to space

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council's joint venture to send the 2023 World Cup Trophy to space drew a variety of reactions from fans on Twitter.

The trophy was launched 120,000 feet above the earth using a "stratospheric balloon" and landed in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue for the World Cup final.

While some praised the theatrics, others criticized the bodies for spending money on a relatively unimportant thing instead of provisioning DRS for the World Cup qualifiers or better facilities in stadiums. Many fans also lamented the delay in the release of the World Cup's schedule. Some simply joined the fun with memes.

Here are the top reactions:

Full schedule of ICC's World Cup Trophy tour

The event was part of ICC's announcement of the traditional trophy tour in the lead-up to the World Cup in October-November. This year the prize will travel to 18 countries starting from June 27 before returning to India on September 4.

"Cricket unites India like no other sport and excitement is building across the country as we prepare to host the 10 best teams in the world over six weeks of heart-stopping cricket," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on the occasion.

• 27 June – 14 July: India
• 15 – 16 July: New Zealand
• 17 – 18 July: Australia
• 19 – 21 July: Papua New Guinea
• 22 – 24 July: India
• 25 – 27 July: USA
• 28 – 30 July: West Indies
• 31 July – 4 August: Pakistan
• 5 – 6 August: Sri Lanka
• 7 – 9 August: Bangladesh
• 10 – 11 August: Kuwait
• 12 – 13 August: Bahrain
• 14 – 15 August: India
• 16 – 18 August: Italy
• 19 – 20 August: France
• 21 – 24 August: England
• 25 – 26 August: Malaysia
• 27 – 28 August: Uganda
• 29 – 30 August: Nigeria
• 31 August – 3 September: South Africa
• From 4 September: India