Xtra Time Web Desk: The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is set to take place in India from October 5 to November 19, with the final scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has shortlisted at least a dozen venues, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, and Mumbai, for the other matches in the tournament. The delay in finalizing the venues is due to the complications posed by the monsoon season receding at different times in different parts of India.
The BCCI has not yet specified venues for any games or the two or three cities where teams will play their warm-up matches. This is because the Indian government has not yet granted the necessary clearances for the tournament. The BCCI needs a tax exemption for the event, and there are also visa clearance issues for the Pakistan team, which has not played in India except at ICC events since early 2013.
The ICC usually announces World Cup schedules at least a year in advance, but it has been waiting for the BCCI to get the necessary clearances from the Indian government. At the ICC’s quarterly meetings held in Dubai last weekend, the BCCI assured the global body that visas for the Pakistan contingent would be cleared by the Indian government.
The tournament will comprise 48 matches, including three knockouts, over a period of 46 days. With the final scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad, cricket fans can look forward to an exciting event that showcases the best of the sport.