The 2023 instalment of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is expected to commence on 5 October, with the final scheduled for 19 November, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo. India will be hosting the competition for the fourth time, having previously been the joint hosts in 1987, 1996 and 2011.
With the country all set to stage the tournament entirely for the first time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has earmarked at least 12 venues for the occasion.
The 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is likely to host the final, whilst Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Guwahati, Dharamshala, Lucknow, Indore, Delhi, Chennai, Rajkot and Hyderabad are also expected to host matches.
Expected venues for 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup"
Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi Stadium)
Bengaluru (M Chinnaswamy Stadium)
Kolkata (Eden Gardens)
Mumbai (multiple options)
Guwahati (Barsapara Cricket Stadium)
Dharamshala (HPCA Cricket Stadium)
Lucknow (BRSAVB Ekana Cricket Stadium)
Indore (Holkar Cricket Stadium)
Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium)
Chennai (MA Chidambaram Stadium)
Rajkot (Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium)
Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium)
The visa approval of Pakistani players was presumed to be a sticking point, with the green shirts not touring India in the last ten years. The report, however, mentions that the BCCI assured visa clearance from the Indian government in the last meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC), held in Dubai a few days ago.
The report further states that BCCI is expected to provide clarification regarding the tax exemption status of the competition. According to a 2014 agreement between the ICC and the BCCI, the Indian body is obliged to provide ICC with a tax waiver.
3 Places up for Grabs
Like the previous edition, the 2023 World Cup will be a ten-team affair, before it expands into a fourteen-team tournament in 2027. Seven of these ten places have been taken up by hosts India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England and New Zealand.
The eighth entrant will be determined by the 2020-23 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League standings, where West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ireland are all competing for the vacant position. The last two places will be filed by the two best performers in the qualifiers, scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe from 18 June to 9 July.
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