Cricket

Mumbai, Kolkata to host 2023 ICC World Cup semi-finals with final, India vs Pakistan at Ahmedabad

While Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens will be hosting the semi-finals, Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will host the final as well as the India vs Pakistan clash in this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.

FirstCricket Staff June 26, 2023 23:30:47 IST

General view of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Sportzpics

While the complete schedule of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is yet to be announced, it has been reliably learned that Mumbai and Kolkata will be hosting the semi-final fixtures with the final taking place in Ahmedabad.

Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium were supposed to host the semi-finals of the upcoming World Cup according to the draft schedule but they have now been moved to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Mumbai’s Wankede Stadium, according to News18 CricketNext.

Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, meanwhile, will host both the blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash as well as the final.

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Eden Gardens and Wankhede Stadium had hosted the final of the 1987 and 2011 World Cups respectively. While India were eliminated in the semi-finals in 1987, they would win the trophy under MS Dhoni’s leadership in 2011.

“Yes the venues for the two semi-finals have been changed from Bengaluru and Chennai to Mumbai and Kolkata. No major changes to the draft schedule which was earlier prepared and the title clash will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad,” says an official tracking developments.

Major cricket centres such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai will be hosting five matches each during the course of the tournament that will take place in the months of October and November.

Additionally, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala and Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram will also get a slice of World Cup action.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team will be hoping to end its long wait for an ICC title in the World Cup later this year. The last time they won a major global event was in the 2013 Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni’s leadership.

World Cup trophy tour off to a spectacular launch

Meanwhile the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy tour got underway in stunning fashion on Monday.

The trophy was launched 120,000 feet above earth before landing at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where it will be presented to the tournament winner later this year.

“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.

“As we countdown to the World Cup, the Trophy Tour is a fantastic chance for fans to be part of the event wherever they are. The Tour will travel extensively across India and seek to inspire communities to share the excitement of cricket’s greatest spectacle, while providing an opportunity to showcase iconic venues, cities and landmarks throughout the country,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah on the occasion of the trophy launch.

“The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour is an important milestone in the countdown to what will be the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever. This Tour will see the iconic silverware meet heads of states, launch community initiatives and support cricket development programmes in addition to visiting some of the most iconic landmarks around the globe.

“Cricket has more than a billion fans and we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get up close to this famous trophy that has been held aloft by some of the greatest legends of our sport,” said ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice.

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