Ahmedabad, Kolkata Lined Up for T20 World Cup Semifinals; Final Venue Flexed for Pakistan
NEW DELHI :The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata have been shortlisted to host the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled for February–March next year, according to recent media reports.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), in collaboration with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has reportedly shortlisted eight venues for the premier 20-team tournament.
Matches in India will be distributed across five major cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. Sri Lanka will host games at three venues, including two stadiums in Colombo and one in Kandy.
The decision on the final’s venue remains fluid, dependent largely on the teams that reach the title clash, particularly whether Pakistan qualifies. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad remains a potential host for the final if Pakistan does not make it.
The semifinals are subject to specific conditional staging:
If Sri Lanka or Pakistan reaches the last four, their semifinal match will be staged in Colombo.
If neither team reaches the semifinals, both matches will be held in India.
The ICC has further reserved the option to stage the final in Colombo should Pakistan qualify for the title match, indicating a high degree of operational flexibility in the scheduling.
The ICC confirmed in an October 17 release that the 20-team event will follow the same format as the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
The teams will be divided into four groups of five sides each. The tournament will feature the 13 Test-playing nations alongside a strong contingent of qualifiers, including Canada, the Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, Oman, and Namibia. European minnows Italy will make their debut at the global championship.
Following the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eights phase, which will feature two groups of four sides. The top two finishers from each Super Eights group will then progress to the knockout semifinals.
India enters the tournament as the defending champions, having defeated South Africa in the final of the 2024 edition. The ICC is expected to announce the complete schedule and group compositions in the coming days.
