The 13th edition of the 50-over ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to commence on October 5, 2023. The all-important event will be held in India this time around.
Four years ago, England and New Zealand locked horns in the final of this very competition to give the cricketing world what is arguably one of the greatest One Day Internationals ever. Now, the proceedings shift to India as the two-time champions host the tournament.
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There are not many nations that can claim to love this sport as much as India. The World Cup guarantees entertainment and action as all the participating teams look to emerge victorious and take the prestigious trophy home.
There is excitement in the air, and curiosity too. Here is everything you need to know about the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023:
How many teams will take part in the Cricket World Cup?
A total of 10 teams will be competing at the World Cup. As hosts, India are on the receiving end of an automatic qualification.
The seven teams who qualified after ending in the top eight of the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League rankings are New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa (in order of their positions).
The remaining two spots were to be decided through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Amongst the ten sides in contention for the last two spots at the mega event, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands confirmed their presence at the tournament as they finished first and second respectively in the Super Sixes.
Who qualified from the World Cup Qualifiers?
The two teams from the qualifiers who have booked their tickets to India for the 50-over World Cup are Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
Initially, a total of ten teams were divided into two groups of five sides each. The top three sides from each group then qualified for the next round, which was called the “Super Sixes.” The two groups, arranged as per their final rankings, were as follows:
Group A: Zimbabwe, Netherlands, West Indies, Nepal, United States of America
Group B: Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman, Ireland, United Arab Emirates
As a result, Zimbabwe, Netherlands and West Indies made it to the Super Sixes from Group A, while Sri Lanka, Scotland and Oman proceeded from Group B.
In the Super Sixes, teams carried forward the points they accumulated in the group stage against the other two sides who qualified alongside them. This meant that Zimbabwe, Netherlands and West Indies carried over only those points from the group stage that they earned against one another. The same applied to the three Group B sides as well.
West Indies, who came in as favorites owing to their rich cricketing history, lost to both Zimbabwe and Netherlands in the group stage. Consequently, they entered the Super Sixes with zero points, which already made it close to impossible for them to qualify.
Zimbabwe were excellent throughout their campaign and were unbeaten until their last two games. However, they lost both the remaining games and missed out on a World Cup qualification in front of their home crowd, who was incredibly energetic and supportive throughout.
Scotland showed immense promise and indestructible fighting spirit. It all came down to the last game between Netherlands and Scotland, where a win for the latter would guarantee their qualification, while the former could qualify only if they chased down 278 runs in 44 overs.
A magnificent all-round performance from Bas de Leede took the Netherlands over the line. Scotland fought hard, but they missed out on the basis of their NRR (Net Run Rate).
Sri Lanka qualified with ease, as they ended the Super Sixes with a perfect ten points.
What are the venues for the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup?
The entirety of the World Cup would be played in India; something that has never happened before.
A total of 10 venues are set to be used to host the 48 World Cup games. India will be playing nine league games, each at a different venue.
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, is set to host the opener of the tournament on October 5, as well as the final which will be played on November 19. The two semi-finals will be held at Wankhede Stadium and Eden Gardens.
The games are set to be played across the following venues:
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad – 5 games
Mangalam Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru – 5 games
Muthiah Annamalai Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – 5 games
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi – 5 games
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala – 5 games
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad – 3 games
Eden Gardens, Kolkata – 5 games
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow – 5 games
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – 5 games
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune – 5 games
When will the squads be announced?
The teams can announce their World Cup squads latest by September 5, 2023.
From August 29 onwards, drafts can be made and submitted. Then, changes could be made to the squad in the upcoming week if required.
However, September 5 will be the deadline to submit final squads. No changes will be allowed after that.
In case a team is willing to make some adjustments to the squad post September 5, it will be possible only after an approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Technical Committee.
All sides have tried and tested players over the last few months. More or less, the managements are clear with respect to who is in their plans for the marquee-event, and who is not. There is still some time, and teams would want to figure out their perfect combinations before heading into the World Cup.
How to book tickets for the ICC World Cup 2023?
Reports earlier suggested that the ICC could release tickets in the first week of July 2023. However, we are approaching August and there is still no official confirmation regarding the release date for tickets.
The tickets will be on sale on the official website and application of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Sources say that PayTM and BookMyShow may also be selling tickets officially.
Most of the tickets will be sold online. But, there is no authentic news relating to the exact dates when the tickets go live. The anticipation keeps building and tickets are expected to be sold out within minutes and hours of being released.
Schedule of the ODI World Cup
| Date | Match | Time (IST) | Venue |
| Thu, 5th Oct | England vs New Zealand | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Fri, 6th Oct | Pakistan vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | RGI Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Sat, 7th Oct | Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | 10:30 AM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Sat, 7th Oct | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Sun, 8th Oct | India vs Australia | 2:00 PM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Mon, 9th Oct | New Zealand vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | RGI Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Tue, 10th Oct | England vs Bangladesh | 2:00 PM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Wed, 11th Oct | India vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Thu, 12th Oct | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | RGI Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Fri, 13th Oct | Australia vs South Africa | 2:00 PM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Sat, 14th Oct | New Zealand vs Bangladesh | 10:30 AM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Sat, 14th Oct | England vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Sun, 15th Oct | India vs Pakistan | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Mon, 16th Oct | Australia vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Tue, 17th Oct | South Africa vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Wed, 18th Oct | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Thu, 19th Oct | India vs Bangladesh | 2:00 PM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| Fri, 20th Oct | Australia vs Pakistan | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Sat, 21st Oct | Netherlands vs Sri Lanka | 10:30 AM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Sat, 21st Oct | England vs South Africa | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Sun, 22nd Oct | India vs New Zealand | 2:00 PM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Mon, 23rd Oct | Pakistan vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Tue, 24th Oct | South Africa vs Bangladesh | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Wed, 25th Oct | Australia vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Thu, 26th Oct | England vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Fri, 27th Oct | Pakistan vs South Africa | 2:00 PM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Sat, 28th Oct | Australia vs New Zealand | 10:30 AM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Sat, 28th Oct | Netherlands vs Bangladesh | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Sun, 29th Oct | India vs England | 2:00 PM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Mon, 29th Oct | Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| Tue, 30th Oct | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Wed, 1st Nov | New Zealand vs South Africa | 2:00 PM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| Thu, 2nd Nov | India vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Fri, 3rd Oct | Netherlands vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Sat, 4th Oct | New Zealand vs Pakistan | 10:30 AM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Sat, 4th Oct | England vs Australia | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Sun, 5th Nov | India vs South Africa | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Mon, 6th Nov | Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| Tue, 7th Nov | Australia vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Wed, 8th Nov | England vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| Thu, 9th Nov | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Fri, 10th Nov | South Africa vs Afghanistan | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Sat, 11th Nov | India vs Netherlands | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Sun, 12th Nov | Australia vs Bangladesh | 10:30 AM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| Sun, 12th Nov | England vs Pakistan | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Wed, 15th Nov | Semi Final 1 (1st vs 4th) | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Thu, 16th Nov | Semi Final 2 (2nd vs 3rd) | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Sun, 19th Nov | Final | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
India’s schedule in the ODI World Cup
India will begin their World Cup campaign on October 8 against Australia in Chennai.
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
| India vs Australia | Sun, 8th Oct | 2:00 PM | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| India vs Afghanistan | Wed, 11th Oct | 2:00 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| India vs Pakistan | Sun, 15th Oct | 2:00 PM | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| India vs Bangladesh | Thu, 19th Oct | 2:00 PM | MCA Stadium, Pune |
| India vs New Zealand | Sun, 22nd Oct | 2:00 PM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala |
| India vs England | Sun, 29th Oct | 2:00 PM | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| India vs Sri Lanka | Thu, 2nd Nov | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| India vs South Africa | Sun, 5th Nov | 2:00 PM | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| India vs Netherlands | Sat, 11th Nov | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
FAQs
How many times have India won the Women’s Cricket World Cup?
India have never won the World Cup in 11 editions. India have made the finals twice, in 2005 and 2017, but failed to win the Women’s World Cup.
When is the World Cup in cricket?
The 2023 edition of the ODI Men’s Cricket World Cup will begin on October 5 in India, with last edition’s finalists England and New Zealand facing each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Who won the first World Cup?
The first women’s World Cup was held in 1973, and was won by England. The first men’s World Cup, two years later, in 1975, was won by the West Indies.
