Reports: Eden Gardens to host 2023 World Cup semi-final, Chennai to miss out due to weather concerns

ICC ODI World Cup Trophy. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The ODI World Cup 2023 is just three months away, as the tournament is all set to begin on October 5 in India. However, the complete schedule for the tournament is yet to be out as BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is still finalising venues for the matches. According to reports, the complete schedule for the marquee event will be unveiled on Tuesday, June 27, and there are a few changes expected from the draft schedule shared earlier by the board.

If reports are to be believed, one of the tournament’s semi-finals will be hosted at the historic Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. Notably, the ground could not host a single game during the 2011 ODI World Cup as some renovation work could not be completed on time.

Earlier, Wankhede (Mumbai) and Chepauk (Chennai) were in line to host the last four matches of the World Cup. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was also considered as one of the options. However, according to a report in Cricbuzz, Kolkata has also emerged as one of the options alongside Mumbai and Chennai. The report further suggests that Kolkata and Mumbai are most likely to host the semi-finals of the 13th edition of the tournament.

The decision to allot a semifinal to Eden Gardens was taken at a meeting of the state associations of host cities with the BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials on Monday (June 26), and 12 associations attended the meeting.

One of the reasons for shifting a semi-final from Chennai to Kolkata was the weather conditions in October-November in Tamil Nadu’s capital. The region experiences North-East monsoon during that time, and hence the BCCI/ICC does not want to take any risk considering it is a knockout game.

Opening match, IND vs PAK and the final to take place in Ahmedabad

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) will, however, get to host a few World Cup games. The state board’s representatives were present at the meeting with ICC and BCCI in Mumbai. During the meeting, the associations were also explained the operational functions expected of a host association.

As per the draft schedule, the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will begin on October 5, with the opening game between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The much-anticipated India versus Pakistan match and the final will also be played at the same venue.