Picture Credit: Twitter
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, June 27 announced the much-awaited ODI World Cup 2023 schedule. The 48-match long tournament which is set to take place in India in October-November this year will see ten cities host the marquee event.
While the Narendra Modi Stadium will host the tournament opener between the defending champions England and New Zealand, they will also host the final along with greatest rivalry in cricket between arch-rivals India and Pakistan match scheduled for October 15. However, two key venues which were earlier shortlisted were left out, one of them being the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
Seeing this, the Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has expressed his disappointment on the same. The Sports Minister cited “political interference” as the reason of this decision.
Taking it to twitter, the Government of Punjab in a series of tweet wrote, “While strongly condemning the exclusion of Mohali from the list of host cities in the schedule released for the ODI Cricket #WorldCup2023 to be held in India in the month of October-November this year, Sports Minister @Meet_Hayer has described this decision as being motivated by political reasons. He said that the State Govt led by CM @BhagwantMann will raise the issue of this discrimination and open injustice with the @BCCI.”
BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla responded on the statements made after the exclusion of Mohali as the host of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. While talking in an interview as quoted by Hindustan Times, Shukla added, “It is based on rotational system. No picking and choosing has been done. ICC’s consent is important in finalising the venues. It’s not that any centre/zone has been ignored.”
Talking about Team India and its fixtures, the 2011 champions will play a match each in Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Dharamsala , Lucknow , Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
