Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the board, responded to complaints from the Punjab Sports Minister that Mohali had been overlooked as a World Cup location.
Traditional state associations that were denied matches during the ICC World Cup 2023, whose schedule was released at an ICC event in Mumbai on Tuesday, harshly condemned the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI). The 48 games of the ODI World Cup, which will take place between October 5 and November 19, will be contested at 10 locations: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune. The warm-up games will be held in Trivandrum and Guwahati. Mohali, Indore, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Nagpur are a few of the cities that might feel cheated.
The most unexpected of the bunch was Mohali, a venue that has been hosting significant World Cup matches since 1996. Naturally, that area also experienced the most response. Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the BCCI, responded to Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer’s criticism of the organisation for leaving Mohali off the list of World Cup host cities.
Political involvement was the reason Mohali, in the province of Punjab, was left off the list of host cities for the competition. The Punjab government would bring up this matter with the BCCI, according to Hayer.
According to Shukla, Mohali would receive bilateral series matches without any exceptions.
Mohali received Virat Kohli’s 100th Test last season. In Mohali, Mullanpur Stadium is getting ready. They would have received a World Cup match had it been ready. Matches were not permitted at the existing Mohali stadium because it did not adhere to ICC criteria. However, that does not mean they would not receive matches. They will receive bilateral series matches; the format is based on a rotational method. ‘Pick and choose’ has not been used. The ICC’s approval is crucial for choosing the locations. Warm-up games have been offered for the first time in Trivandrum.Not that any core or zone has been disregarded. Even in the North East Zone, Guwahati was chosen for the matches after careful consideration when choosing the stadiums. The schedule has been modified significantly.
According to Shukla, 12 locations have been selected for the massive cricket tournament, which has never happened before.
“Twelve locations have been selected for the World Cup for the first time. These several locations weren’t selected in earlier World Cups. Trivandrum and Guwahati will host warm-up matches out of these 12 locations, while the other locations will host league matches. There are now spaces for more centres. from venues in South Zone 4, Central Zone 1, West Zone 2, and North Zone 2 venues. The matches (in the North Zone) will be held in Delhi and Dharamshala, he added.
Shukla also discussed the addition of new locations, including Trivandrum, Guwahati, and Lucknow.
“Lucknow has been incorporated. Uttar Pradesh was never given the opportunity to host a World Cup game. A chance has been offered to Guwahati. There have been added numerous Southern venues. Before choosing the final venues, there was some thought. The ICC must approve these locations. It’s not entirely in our control. All those raising concerns should be aware that we require ICC approval in order to choose these places, the speaker stated.
