The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has emerged as the front-runner to host the high-profile India vs Pakistan match in the ICC 50-over World Cup scheduled for October-November, reported the Indian Express.
It will be the first match between the two countries on Indian soil since 2016.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to host the high-voltage match at the Ahmedabad stadium in anticipation of a large number of fans who are expected to travel to India from abroad for the fixture, the newspaper reported.
With a seating capacity of 1 lakh, the Narendra Modi Stadium is the country’s largest. The BCCI will be announcing the World Cup schedule at a grand launch once the Indian Premier League, currently underway, is over, it was reported.
If everything goes as per schedule, the 50-over World Cup will kick off from October 5, with Nagpur, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru and Dharamshala being short-listed as venues, even for practice fixtures.
Of these venues, however, only seven will host India’s league matches. Ahmedabad could be the only venue where India play two matches, provided the team makes it to the final.
The Indian Express reported that Pakistan could end up playing most of their matches in Chennai and Bengaluru due to security reasons. Kolkata’s Eden Gardens is also being considered as a venue. Similarly, Bangladesh could also play most of their matches in Kolkata and Guwahati as it would reduce the travel distance for fans from the neighbouring country.
With October-November being the monsoon season, the BCCI is planning to wrap up the matches in the country’s southern parts before the first week of November.
