ICC announce 2023 ODI World Cup Schedule, Ahmedabad to host IND vs PAK & Final

The ICC and BCCI have announced the 2023 ODI World Cup schedule, with ten venues shortlisted to host the 13th edition of the competition in India from October 5 to November 19. Defending champions England will kick off the marquee tournament in Ahmedabad in a rematch of the final from four years ago against New Zealand, while the Narendra Modi Stadium will also host the Final.

The quadrennial competition will follow the same format as the 2019 edition in England, with ten teams playing each of the other nine opponents once in the league phase. The top four teams in the points table will qualify for the semi-finals, which will take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

A total of ten cities have been selected as host venues for the World Cup, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Pune, and Mumbai. Hyderabad will also host the warm-up matches for the World Cup along with Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram from September 29 to October 3.

Team India qualified for the World Cup as the hosts, while Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa secured their spots by finishing in the top eight of the 2020-2023 World Cup Super League. The remaining two teams will be finalised at the ongoing World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, with Sri Lanka, West Indies, Scotland, Oman, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands still in contention to make it to the subcontinent for the main event.

Six of the 45 group phase matches will be day games, starting at 10:30 am IST, with the remaining day-night fixtures beginning at 2:00 pm IST.

Two-time champions and hosts India begin their World Cup campaign against five-time holders Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8 before facing Afghanistan in New Delhi three days later. The Men in Blue will face neighbours Pakistan in the most-anticipated clash of the league phase in Ahmedabad on October 15 and will venture to nine of the ten home venues for their group games.

The Wankhede Stadium will reportedly host India’s semi-final if they make it to the final four unless they are slated to face Pakistan, in which case, their encounter will be shifted to the Eden Gardens. The Final will be staged on November 19 in Ahmedabad, with a potential reserve day kept in place for all three knockout matches.

Key Dates:

October 5: England vs New Zealand – Ahmedabad (Curtain-raiser)

October 8: India vs Australia – Chennai

October 13: Australia vs South Africa – Lucknow

October 15: India vs Pakistan – Ahmedabad

October 19: Bangladesh vs India – Pune

October 21: England vs South Africa – Mumba

October 22: India vs New Zealand – Dharamsala

October 28: Australia vs New Zealand – Dharamsala

October 29: India vs England – Lucknow

November 4: England vs Australia – Dharamsala

November 5: India vs South Africa – Kolkata

November 15: Semi-Final 1 – Mumbai

November 16: Semi-Final 2 – Kolkata

November 19: Final – Ahmedabad