ICC World Cup 2023: Kolkata, Mumbai likely to host semifinals

MUMBAI: Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens and Mumbai's famous Wankhede stadium are likely going to host the semi-final matches of ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as per sources in ICC. The ODI World Cup 2023 will be played in India from October 5 to November 19, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are all set to host the semi-finals of the showpiece event.

The host of the 1987 World Cup Eden Gardens, which was won by Allan Border's led Australia will host one of the semi-final matches while the Wankhede stadium, which hosted the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup, won by Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side India will host the other semi-final while Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi stadium is going to host the final match.

The sources also confirmed Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram as the 12 cities to host ICC ODI World Cup matches. Over the course of 46 days, 48 matches, including three knockout games, are scheduled to be contested.

The league matches are likely to be held in 10 cities, with two more cities hosting warm-up games before the main event. A day before the official announcement of the schedule in Mumbai the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour 2023 has been launched on a stratospheric scale, giving fans around the world a unique opportunity to interact with the coveted trophy, ahead of the marquee event in India.

The Tour was launched in spectacular fashion, with the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Trophy being launched into the stratosphere, 120,000 feet above the earth, before making a stunning landing at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The 2023 edition of the Trophy Tour will be the biggest by far, giving the fans a chance to connect with the coveted piece of silverware in various countries and cities around the globe. Starting on June 27, the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Trophy will travel to 18 countries around the world, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, USA, Nigeria, Uganda, France, Italy, the United States of America and the host country India.

The first full-scale Trophy Tour since 2019, the 2023 edition will provide cricket fans around the globe with a chance to recreate the celebratory and carnival atmosphere witnessed during the marquee event. The Trophy Tour will begin on June 27 in India, travel around the globe and then return to the host nation on September 4.