In what has emerged as an initial draft for the 2023 World Cup schedule prepared by the BCCI, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is all set to host the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan on October 15th. According to media reports, India will open their campaign against five-time champions Australia on October 8th at Chepauk in Chennai.
As per media reports, the BCCI shared the draft with the ICC, which then sent it to the participating nations for their feedback before a final schedule gets released early next week. The semi-finals are likely to take place on November 15th and 16th, while Ahmedabad, which will stage the opening game, will also host the final on the 19th.
India's itinerary are as below:
Ind vs Aus, Oct 8, Chennai
Ind vs Afg, Oct 11, Delhi
Ind vs Pak, Oct 15, Ahmedabad
Ind vs Ban, Oct 19, Pune
Ind vs NZ, Oct 22, Dharamsala
Ind vs Eng, Oct 29, Lucknow
Ind vs qualifier, Nov 2, Mumbai
Ind vs SA, Nov 5, Kolkata
Ind vs qualifier, Nov 11, Bengaluru
Pakistan will play across five venues in the tournament, slated to meet the qualifiers on October 6th and 12th in Hyderabad, followed by Australia in Bengaluru (October 20th), Afghanistan (October 23rd) and South Africa (October 27th) in Chennai. They will clash with Bangladesh in Kolkata (October 31), New Zealand in Bengaluru (November 5, day match) and England in Kolkata (November 12), which in the proposed schedule is the final match of the league phase.
The other big matches of the tournament are Australia vs New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 29th, Australia vs England in Ahmedabad on November 4th and New Zealand vs South Africa in Pune on November 1st.
Sri Lanka and West Indies to compete in World Cup qualifiers:
Meanwhile, former champions Sri Lanka and West Indies have to compete in the qualifiers after finishing below eight in the ICC ODI World Cup Super League table. However, they will be vary of sides like Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Netherlands as they are capable of pulling off upsets.
The tournament starts on June 18th, with Zimbabwe and Nepal to play in the first game in Harare.
