File photo of the ICC World Cup trophy© AFP
The 2023 ODI World Cup will start on October 5 with the final taking place on November 19, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. The report further stated that the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has shortlisted around 12 venues for the tournament and the final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The other venues are – Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamshala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai. The competition will have 48 matches across 46 days with 10 teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy.
While the report stated the list for the main venues, the board is expected to announce 2-3 more venues for warm-up matches ahead of the tournament. The main factor behind the choices will be the chances of rain and the presence of infrastructure needed to get the field ready in time.
While the fixtures for World Cups are generally announced one year in advance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is still waiting to understand the situation surrounding the visa situation of Pakistan cricketers and the tax exemptions on offer from the Indian government.
As part of an agreement signed by the BCCI and ICC, a tax exemption was promised for three tournaments from 2016 to 2023. The report claimed that the BCCI was “obligated” to help the ICC (along with other commercial entities involved with the tournament) with tax waivers.
On the other hand, Pakistan cricketers have not travelled to India since 2013 for any tournament but the BCCI made it clear that their visas will be cleared by the Indian government.
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