India’s schedule for ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches announced, to be played at these venues

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the much-awaited schedule for the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup (CWC) to be held in India from October 5 to November 19. The tournament will see ten teams competing for supremacy in cricket. The thrill will begin at the spectacular Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the opening match will be between defending champions England and New Zealand. The encounter is particularly significant as it marks a repeat of the thrilling final of the 2019 edition. The Grand Finale will also be held at the same venue, adding an extra layer of excitement and anticipation.

Venues for practice matches in World Cup 2023:

1) Hyderabad
2) Thiruvananthapuram
3) Guwahati pic.twitter.com/hCJlHVk6Xz

– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 27 June 2023

A week before the start of the main event, a series of practice matches will be held. These matches serve as an opportunity for the teams to fine-tune their strategies and adapt to the conditions of the tournament. For India, two important warm-up matches have been scheduled. On September 30, the Indian team, captained by Rohit Sharma, will take on England in a thrilling match in Guwahati. The match will provide an excellent opportunity for the Indian team to assess their preparation ahead of the main draw. Thereafter, on October 3, India will take on the Qualifier 1 team in a warm-up match, to be held in Trivandrum, and test their skills and preparations.

The practice matches are spread across three venues: Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati. While Hyderabad is one of the host cities for the main event, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will see only three matches, none of which will feature the Indian team. Despite not being allocated any matches during the main event, Thiruvananthapuram has been given the privilege of hosting the warm-up fixtures, giving local fans the opportunity to witness exciting cricketing action.
Of the 12 cities selected as hosts for matches in the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup, notable exclusions include Mohali and Indore.

Nevertheless, fans across the country can rejoice as the Indian team will play all its nine matches at a different venue, adding to the variety and excitement of the tournament.

The format of the tournament will remain unchanged from the 2019 edition. Each of the ten participating teams will compete against each other once during the group stage. After this round-robin stage, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, where the intensity of the competition will increase further.

As the host nation, India has secured direct qualification for the tournament along with Australia, England, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. The remaining two teams will emerge from the ongoing qualifiers, with Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Oman and the Netherlands competing for a coveted spot in the main tournament. The top two teams from the Super Six stage of the qualifiers will advance to the final, determining the status of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.

Cricket lovers around the world are anxiously awaiting the start of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which is likely to witness an interesting schedule, high-stakes matches and some unforgettable cricket moments.