Just hours before the unveiling of World Cup 2023 Schedule, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have made a last-minute change in venue. The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host one semifinal while Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the other. Earlier, the plan was to have the semis in Mumbai, Chennai or Bengaluru. WC 2023 Schedule will be announced on Tuesday.
But as per a Cricbuzz report, there is a change. BCCI will allot a semifinal to the East Zone.
“Mumbai’s Wankhede and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens are two likely venues for the World Cup semi finals. Earlier, Chennai was also in the race but it seems Eden is slightly ahead now,” a BCCI source told PTI on Monday.
Chennai was the other favourite if India qualify for the semifinals. The spin-heavy conditions would have aided India.
However, rain in November is one reason why Chennai lost the race.
“One of the reasons could be the November weather in Chennai where there is always a chance of rain,” the official added.
All state association members were present in Mumbai on Monday for a meeting to finalise the details before the official announcement on Tuesday.
World Cup 2023 Venues:
- Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi Stadium
- Bengaluru: M Chinnaswamy Stadium
- Chennai: MA Chidambaram Stadium
- Delhi: Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium
- Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
- Guwahati: Assam Cricket Association Stadium
- Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal
- Indore: Holkar Stadium
- Kolkata: Eden Gardens
- Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium (at least one semi-final)
- Raipur: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium
- Rajkot: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium
Source Insider Sport