BCCI set to upgrade venues in two phases ahead of 2023 ODI World Cup 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to upgrade venues for the 2023 ODI World Cup in two different phases. The first phase will only cover 10 venues for the 50-over tournament. That development came as BCCI held its 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday, July 7.

In a press release, BCCI stated:

“The first phase will deal with the upgradation of the venues of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, work for which shall be completed before the commencement of the World Cup.”

It added:

“The second phase will involve upgradation of the rest of the venues.”

The ICC tournament will be played from October 5 to November 19. The opener will be played between defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also host the final.

Apart from Ahmedabad, the venues are Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Meanwhile, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati will host practice games.

10 teams, including Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, have qualified for the 50-over tournament, which will be played in a round-robin format, comprising 45 league matches. The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be played in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16, respectively.

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Other key decisions taken by BCCI at Apex Council meeting, barring World Cup

Among other key decisions, the BCCI will also send men’s and women’s teams to Asian Games, scheduled to take place in September 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The cricket board will send a second-string men’s team that will not be participating in the World Cup.

BCCI, meanwhile, has also decided to continue the Impact player rule in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy next season with slight variations:

“The teams will have to select their playing XI along with 4 substitute players before the toss. The teams can use the Impact Player at any time during the match. In the previous season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a team could only use the Impact Player before the 14th over of an innings.”

Meanwhile, the board has allowed two bouncers per over to balance the contest between bat and ball.

Amid uncertainty regarding the ‘cooling period’, BCCI has decided to formulate a policy for its retired players regarding their participation in overseas leagues.