Xtra Time Web Desk: M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru and Wankhede stadium in Mumbai will host the two semi-final matches of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to be played in India in October and November. As per the draft of the venues shared by the ICC, both the cities will play hosts for the semis, while Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the final.
The draft fixture also states that Ahmedabad will host both the opening encounter on October 5. The tentative dates for the marquee clash between India and Pakistan is on October 15 at Ahmedabad. It is highly unlikely Pakistan Cricket Board will be willing to play in Ahmedabad. They have expressed Chennai and Kolkata as their two designated city for the marquee clash.
It remains to be seen whether the BCCI and ICC budge to PCB’s demand. Moreover, England, the defending champions, are confirmed to play the tournament opener against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
A total of 10 venues have been shortlisted to host the ODI World Cup matches with Ahmedabad, Delhi, Dharamsala, Chennai, Lucknow, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad in the list, as per the draft. Guwahati and Trivandrum are likely to host the warm-up fixtures before the main tournament kickstarts.
Notably, Pakistan are yet to provide any written assurance to the ICC in relation to their participation in the ODI World Cup owing to the turbulence regarding the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. While Pakistan have proposed a hybrid model to host the Asian tournament, it remains to be seen whether the model gets approval from the participating teams in Asia Cup 2023.
The ICC ODI World Cup in India will commence from October 5.