The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata have been shortlisted for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup slated for February-March next year. Jointly hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has zeroed in on eight venues for the World Cup.

Five cities in India - Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai besides Ahmedabad and Kolkata - and three venues in Sri Lanka - two stadiums in Colombo and another in Kandy - have been finalised, with no decision yet on the venue for the final.

It will depend on which teams reach the title clash and, more crucially, whether one of them is Pakistan. Ahmedabad remains an option to host the final should Pakistan not qualify.

As for the semifinals, should Sri Lanka or Pakistan reach the last four stage, that particular match will be played in Colombo. If neither reaches the last-four stage, both semifinals will be played in India. The final, will be played in Colombo, should Pakistan go that far. The final decisions on these aspects have been kept open-ended.

According to an October 17 ICC release, the 20-team tournament will be played in the same format as the 2024 event in the USA and West Indies with the teams placed in four different groups of five sides each. All 13 Test playing countries apart, Canada, the Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, Oman and Namibia have qualified for the month-long event. European minnows Italy will be the debutants for the global championship.

The group stage will be followed by a Super Eights phase that will include the top two finishers from each group. “The Super Eights will feature two groups of four sides, with the top two finishers from each group then progressing to the knockout semifinals,” the ICC said.

India are the defending champions of the World Cup, having won in June 2024, beating South Africa in the final. The ICC is expected to release the schedule, along with the groupings, in a few days.

Source: Cricbuzz

- Agencies