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Mohali (Source - Twitter)
A special event was organised in Mumbai to announce the schedule for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 was announced on Tuesday, June 27. With less than 100 days remaining for the tournament, the first match of the grand event will be played between the 2019 edition finalists England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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10 cities will serve as the venues for the tournament which will be Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai. However, the officials of other stadiums which are not selected to host any matches are not satisfied with the board’s decision. Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association president Abhilash Khandekar was also disappointed by the same.
"Indore hosted a World Cup game between Australia and New Zealand back in 1987. We feel bad that Indore has been left out. I don't know the compulsions of the Indian Cricket Board. Indore has a rich cricketing history and therefore we expected it to be a venue of the World Cup," Khandekar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Punjab has not got even one game: Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
The officials of the Punjab Cricket Association were also unhappy as Mohali won’t be hosting any match of the grand event. Due to this, Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has said that there is a political reason behind it as Mohali used to be India’s top 5 stadium but now it won’t host any game while Ahmedabad will host the opening match.
"It is good that World Cup is coming to India but it is sad that a stadium which has produced many superstars of Indian cricket, a stadium that used to be among the top five venues in the country, has not got a single game.
On the other hand, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is hosting the opening game as well as the final and also the big game between India and Pakistan. To the neighbouring Dharamsala as well you are giving them five games but Punjab has not got even one. That makes it clear that politics is being played," he said.