Everything You Need to Know About the 2023 Cricket World Cup

Published on: Sep 05, 2023

The 2023 Cricket World Cup is the highlight of the year in the sport, and it is set to be another exciting tournament. It begins on October 5, and it will be played through to the final on November 19. Here is a look at everything you need to know about the competition

India Set to Be Sole Hosts for the First Time

For the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup in history, it will be the first time that India will play the sole hosts. They joint-hosted the tournament in 1987 with Pakistan, in 1996 they were one of three hosts with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while in 2011, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka shared the tournament with them.

A total of ten stadiums will be used during this year's tournament, including in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The last time the tournament was played in the sub-continent, India and Sri Lanka reached the final, with the former prevailing by six wickets in the final in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma will be hoping to become the latest Indian captain to lift the trophy.

England Defending Champions

This year’s tournament has a lot to live up to if it is to match the drama the 2019 Cricket World Cup final produced. England lifted the trophy for the first time in history at Lord’s following a Super Over against New Zealand. They eventually prevailed through the boundary countback rule.

England made a poor start to the tournament four years ago as they were defeated by Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Victories over India and New Zealand in their final two group games ensured they finished third and qualified for the semi-finals.

The hosts hammered Australia by eight wickets in their semi-final, while New Zealand defeated India to book their place in the final.

Big Crowds Expected to Tune in

Millions of cricket fans around the world are expected to turn in to watch the 2023 Cricket World Cup, including in countries like Zambia where it is not the main sport. Many of these spectators will be placing a bet on who will the tournament. In the sports betting Zambia, it is India who are the favourites at 9/4. New customers can pick up a first deposit bonus of up to K3,000, which can be used across the competition.

With the help of franchise cricket leagues such as Major League Cricket in the USA, the ICC will be hoping that future Cricket World Cup tournaments can grow to include more teams from across the globe, not just the ten Test-playing nations that make up the competition this year.

Format Remains Unaltered

The format of the 2023 Cricket World Cup is the same as 2019. All ten teams will join the group stage and play each other once. The top four teams from these standings will then qualify for the knockout stages, which consists of two semi-finals and the final.

The opening game of the tournament will see England take on New Zealand on October 5.