Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is likely to host India vs Pakistan 2023 World Cup clash - Reports

With the 2023 50-over World Cup justmonths away, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to announce the much-awaited schedule in a grand launch following the IPL 2023. The latest reports have emerged that the high-octane India vs Pakistan clash will take place at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In anticipation of a large number of fans travelling from all across the world for the India vs Pakistan match – first time on the Indian soil since 2016, Ahmedabad stays as the front-runner to play host ahead of several other iconic venues like the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and M Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru. With a sitting capacity of over 100,000, this stadium is also the largest in India.

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As per a report in the Indian Express, the board has zeroed in on 12 tentative venues for the World Cup – scheduled for October-November this year, with Nagpur, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru and Dharamsala short-listed, even for practice games.

Among all these venues, only seven will host Indian team matches, with Ahmedabad being the one to host two – provided Rohit Sharma’s team reach the summit clash.

Meanwhile, the report also suggests that Pakistan could play most of their league matches down south – Chennai or Bengaluru, purely for security reasons. Besides, Eden Gardens is also considered the other venue for the Pakistan games. Also, for Bangladesh, Kolkata and Guwahati are considered venues, as it would reduce the travel time of the touring fans.

Further, considering the Oct-Nov window being the monsoon season in India, most matches would take place in southern India until the first week of November.

BCCI-PCB tussle continues

While talks of confirming the venues and schedule are in the final stages, earlier reports suggest that following a verbal argument between boards from neighbouring countries, there could be a scenario that Pakistan might consider against travelling to India for the mega event.

It comes as a reciprocation call to BCCI’s decision not to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the scheduled 2023 Asia Cup. Top bosses from both boards sat together earlier during ICC meets but haven’t finalised.

The BCCI said India will not travel to Pakistan and instead will play all of its matches at a neutral venue, with UAE being considered as one of the options.

The 2023 Asia Cup is slated to take place somewhere around early September.