ICC to announce World Cup 2023 schedule today

A copy of a media invite of the occasion is doing rounds on social media. As per the media invite, the event will be held at Astor Ballroom, St. Regis, Lower Parel in Mumbai.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already dispatched a draft schedule to the participating nations earlier in June, outlining the proposed fixtures and venues for the tournament, reports claim. LiveMint could not independently verify the reports.

According to this draft, the opening match is slated to take place on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with reigning champions England going head-to-head against runners-up New Zealand.

The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, is set to embark on their campaign against Australia in Chennai on October 8. Subsequently, the Men in Blue will face Afghanistan in Delhi on October 11. An enthralling contest between India and arch-rivals Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, is scheduled for October 15 in Ahmedabad. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to provide its consent for the proposed draft schedule, causing a degree of uncertainty surrounding the marquee clash.

The highly-anticipated knockout matches are likely to be held on November 15 and 16, culminating in the final on November 19, which will take place in Ahmedabad. 

Recent reports suggest that the PCB had expressed a desire to modify the venues for a few of Pakistan’s matches, specifically those scheduled in Chennai and Bengaluru against Afghanistan and Australia, respectively. However, both the ICC and BCCI have unanimously rejected the request, citing a lack of compelling reasons for altering the existing venue allocations.

Updated: 26 Jun 2023, 10:05 AM IST