BCCI announced its plan to upgrade cricket stadiums ahead of the World Cup

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• Jul 8, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided at its 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday to upgrade cricket stadiums across...

Digital Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided at its 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday to upgrade cricket stadiums across the country in two phases, with the first phase dealing with all venues announced for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in the country in its entirety for the first time ever.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held its 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Mumbai," stated a press release from the country's governing body of the sport.

During the meeting, the following major decisions were made:

-The BCCI will develop a policy for its players (including retired players) regarding participation in overseas T20 leagues.

-Both men's and women's teams will be sent by the board to the Asian Games, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, in September 2023. However, due to the Asian Games' calendar conflicting with that of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, the BCCI will choose Asian Games players from among those who will not be playing in the World Cup.

-The BCCI will continue with the Impact Player idea in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the coming season, with two variants from the previous season and the Indian Premier League-

(a) Prior to the toss, each team must select their starting XI as well as four substitution players.

(b) Teams may use the Impact Player at any moment throughout the game. During the previous season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a team could only deploy the Impact Player before the 14th over of an inning.

-The board has decided to use two bouncers per over in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to balance the bat-ball contest.

-The BCCI will work in two stages to improve stadiums around the country:

(a) The first phase will deal with the upgrading of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 venues, with work to be completed before the World Cup begins; and

(a) The second phase will involve upgrading the remaining venues.

The opening match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, between defending champions England and runner-up New Zealand, is scheduled for October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host both the tournament's opening game and the tournament's final in this year's biggest Cricket World Cup, which will feature ten teams from October 5 to November 19. The tournament will feature 48 matches spread out over 46 days.

India's World Cup campaign will begin on October 8 in Chennai against Australia.

Apart from Ahmedabad and Chennai, the other venues are Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune. While Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in organizing practice games.

India and Pakistan will face off in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 15 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

Eight teams qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League, with the final two spaces going to the winners of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

The competition will follow the same round-robin format as the previous season, with all teams playing 45 league matches against each other. Six-day matches will begin at 10 a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST), while all other matches, including the knockouts, will begin at 14 a.m. IST.

The top four teams will advance to the semifinals, which will take place in Mumbai on November 15 and Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and final will have reserve days.