BCCI Reveals Plan For Upgradation Of Cricket Stadiums Ahead Of World Cup

In the 19th Apex Council meeting held on Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided that the upgradation of cricket stadiums across the country will go forward in two phases, with the first phase dealing with all venues announced for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in the country in its entirety for the first time ever.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held its 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Mumbai,” said a press release from the governing body of the sport in the country.

The following key decisions were taken during the meeting –

-BCCI will formulate a policy for its players (including retired players) with respect to their participation in overseas T20 leagues.

-The board will send both men’s and women’s teams to the Asian Games scheduled to be held in September 2023 at Hangzhou, China. However, considering the overlap of the schedule of the Asian Games with ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, BCCI will select from the players not participating in the World Cup to play in the Asian Games.

-BCCI will continue with the concept of Impact Player in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the next season with two variations from the previous season and the Indian Premier League –

(a) The teams will have to select their playing XI along with 4 substitute players before the toss; and

(b) The teams can use the Impact Player at any time during the match. In the previous season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a team could only use the Impact Player before the 14th over of an innings.

-The board has decided to introduce two bouncers per over in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to balance the contest between bat and ball.

-BCCI will work towards the upgradation of stadiums in the country in two phases:

(a) The first phase will deal with the upgradation of the venues of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, work for which shall be completed before the commencement of the World Cup; and

(b) The second phase will involve upgradation of the rest of the venues.

The opening match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, featuring defending champions England and runner-up New Zealand, is set to commence on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Ten teams will feature in this biggest Cricket World Cup ever, to be played across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The event will feature 48 matches to be played across 46 days.

India’s World Cup campaign will begin with a match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

The venues other than Ahmedabad and Chennai are Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. While Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will square off at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.

The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six-day matches that will start at 10 30 Indian Standard Time (IST) while all other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 14 00 IST.

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on 15 November and in Kolkata on 16 November. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.