Indus Valley Times

Mumbai, June 27: The world’s largest cricket stadium will play host to the big-ticket World Cup group match between India and Pakistan on October 15 and the gargantuan venue in Ahmedabad will also stage the grand finale on November 19, the ICC announced on Tuesday.

The tournament will begin on October 5 with a clash between defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is the largest in the world with a seating capacity of 1,32,000 spectators — 32,000 more than the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The two semifinals of the mega event will be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata — both iconic venues with a rich legacy — on November 15 and 16 respectively, as per the schedule.

Ringing in the 100-day countdown to the ODI showpiece, the ICC said hosts India will begin their campaign with a mouth-watering clash against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

With Guwahati among 12 venues picked to host the matches including warm-up games, it’s the first time the World Cup is entering northeast India.

There will be a total of 10 venues — Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata — hosting the matches during the tournament proper.

Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram in addition to Hyderabad will host the warm-up games from September 29 to October 3.

Twelve hosting associations were called in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the details and finalise the venues before Tuesday’s official announcement.

-PTI