This year’s Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal is expected to take place in Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which has become a strong favorite to host the match. Sources are aware that the much-awaited schedule has undergone a last-minute modification.
At a meeting of the state associations of host cities with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials on Monday (June 26), the decision to assign Eden Gardens a semifinal took shape. The meeting was attended by 12 associations.
The probable weather in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, in October and November, was one of the factors that led to the semifinal being moved to Kolkata. The BCCI/ICC believed the city might not be the greatest choice for a knockout game during those months because the area receives North-East monsoon. Nevertheless, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) will host a few World Cup matches. At the aforementioned meeting held in Mumbai, a representative of the state board was present. The operational duties anticipated by a host association were also explained to the associations.
New Delhi and Dharamsala in the North Zone, Lucknow in the Central Zone, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Pune in the West, Kolkata and Guwahati in the East, and Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram in the South are anticipated to be the 12 locations for the World Cup. The 48 official World Cup matches, including the three knockout games, will be played in the remaining 10 venues, with Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram just hosting warm-up games.
Initially, the semifinal matches were scheduled to take place at Wankhede (Mumbai) and Chepauk (Chennai). Then Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium surfaced as a potential venue, and now, with only hours till the games’ official announcement, Kolkata has emerged as a serious contender alongside Mumbai and Chennai. However, Mumbai and Kolkata are expected to host the semifinal contests.
The ICC has denied the request by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to move the locations of their matches, as Cricbuzz earlier reported. The high-profile India-Pakistan game will take place in Ahmedabad under the original draught schedule, which also calls for the hosting of Pakistan’s matches against Afghanistan and Australia in Chennai and Bengaluru, respectively.
The final will take place in Ahmedabad on November 19, with the opening ceremony taking place there as well on October 5.