The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the highly anticipated schedule for the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup (CWC), set to take place in India from October 5 to November 19. The tournament will feature ten teams battling it out for cricketing supremacy. The excitement will kick off at the magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the opening match scheduled between the defending champions, England, and New Zealand. This clash is especially significant as it marks a repeat of the thrilling final from the 2019 edition. The grand finale will also be held at the same venue, adding an extra layer of excitement and anticipation.
Venues for Warm-up matches in World Cup 2023:
1) Hyderabad
2) Thiruvananthapuram
3) Guwahati pic.twitter.com/hCJlHVk6Xz— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 27, 2023
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Before the main event gets underway, there will be a series of warm-up matches held a week prior. These matches serve as an opportunity for teams to fine-tune their strategies and get acclimated to the tournament conditions. For India, two crucial warm-up encounters have been scheduled. On September 30th, the Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will face England in a thrilling contest in Guwahati. This match will provide an excellent opportunity for the Indian squad to gauge their readiness before the main draw. Subsequently, on October 3rd, India will take on the Qualifier 1 team in a practice match held in Trivandrum, further testing their skills and preparedness.
The warm-up matches are spread across three venues: Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati. While Hyderabad is one of the host cities for the main event, it will witness only three matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, none of which will feature the Indian team. Thiruvananthapuram, despite not being allocated any matches during the main event, has been granted the privilege of hosting warm-up fixtures, providing local fans with an opportunity to witness exciting cricket action.
Among the 12 cities chosen as hosts for matches in the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup, notable exclusions are Mohali and Indore.
Nevertheless, fans across the country can rejoice as the Indian team will be playing each of their nine matches at a different venue, adding to the diversity and excitement of the tournament.
The format of the tournament remains unchanged from the 2019 edition. Each of the ten participating teams will compete against one another once during the group stage. Following this round-robin phase, the top four teams will progress to the semi-finals, where the intensity of the competition will escalate even further.
As the host nation, India has secured direct qualification to the tournament along with Australia, England, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa. The remaining two teams will emerge from the ongoing qualifiers, which feature Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Oman, and the Netherlands, all vying for a coveted spot in the main tournament. The top two teams from the Super Six stage of the qualifiers will proceed to the final, determining the positions of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
Cricket enthusiasts around the world are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, with its intriguing schedule, high-stakes matches, and the prospect of witnessing some unforgettable cricketing moments.
