27 June,2023 02:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (Pic: PTI)
The 2023 ODI World Cup is set to begin in India from October 5. With 10 teams competing for the coveted trophy, the grand tournament will feature 48 matches, which will be held across 10 venues in India.
The world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad will play host to the big-ticket World Cup group match between India and Pakistan on October 15 and will also stage the grand finale on November 19, the ICC announced on Tuesday.
As hosts, India have qualified directly, as have Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa through the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.
Two other teams will make it to the World Cup through the World Cup Qualifiers, which is being currently played in Zimbabwe.
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Apart from former champions Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the Qualifiers also feature Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, the UAE, the USA, and hosts Zimbabwe.
Also Read: Sri Lanka advance as Ireland crash out of ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 qualifiers
The tournament will begin with a clash between defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The two semifinals of the mega event will be played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata -- both iconic venues with a rich legacy -- on November 15 and 16 respectively, as per the schedule.
The ICC announced hosts India will begin their campaign with a mouth-watering clash against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
There will be a total of 10 venues -- Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata -- hosting the matches during the tournament.
Also Read: ODI World Cup 2023: Wankhede Stadium, Eden Gardens likely venues for semifinals
Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in addition to Hyderabad will host the warm-up games from September 29 to October 3.
At the World Cup in India, the 10 teams will play each other once in a round-robin league featuring 45 matches.
These will be followed by the semifinals and the final.
(With PTI inputs)
