The India vs. Pakistan match in ICC World Cup 2023 may move to October 14 instead of 15. The venue remains unchanged, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s highest-capacity stadium.
Officials from BCCI and ICC confirm the venue will not change. PCB has requested venue changes in the past. After a security delegation visit ahead of the 2016 T20 World Cup, they moved their league tie against India from Dharmshala to Kolkata.
A formal announcement is expected on Thursday after PCB gets approval from the committee formed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Once approved, PCB will have no worries about sending their team to India for the ICC event starting on October 5. They might request to inspect all venues where they will play. Reports suggest PCB will form a special security unit for this.
The change may affect the date of Pakistan’s October 12 tie against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, likely moving to October 10 to allow enough gap between games. If the same logic is applied, Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands scheduled for October 6 in Hyderabad may also move by a day or two.
The primary reason for the date change is the start of the Navratri festival. Security arrangements would have been difficult on the original date of October 15.
ICC and BCCI approached PCB to reschedule two group matches, including the one against India in Ahmedabad.
Besides Pakistan, other teams’ matches in World Cup 2023 may also be rescheduled.
ICC will announce a revised ODI World Cup schedule due to rescheduling requests from member boards. A few matches of other teams may also be rescheduled.
The World Cup starts on October 5 with England vs. New Zealand in Ahmedabad. India plays Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
The semi-finals are set for November 15 in Mumbai and November 16 in Kolkata. The final is in Ahmedabad on November 19. However, if India qualifies for the semi-final and faces Pakistan, their match will be in Kolkata regardless.
