Reports: ODI World Cup 2023 to start on October 5 and conclude on November 19

The biggest cricketing tournament of 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup scheduled to take place in India is likely to begin on October 5 and end on November 19. According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalized 12 venues for the mega event while the final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat.

Apart from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, and Mumbai have also been shortlisted to host world cup matches. The marquee tournament will be held across 46 days and will feature a total of 48 matches which include three knockout games.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the BCCI has not finalized the venues for any other match other than the final and not even the warm-up games due to the rain threats posed by the monsoon season’s end at different points in different parts of the country.

Generally, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announces the schedule of the World Cup one year in advance but this time around, they’re waiting for the BCCI to get some clearance from the Indian government. The two main issues are- getting a tax exemption for the marquee event while the second one being visa clearances for Pakistan players for the World Cup.

Pakistan and India don’t have bilateral cricketing relations anymore but the two teams continue to play against each other in ICC events. Pakistan last traveled to India to participate in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup and last played a series in the country in 2012-13. The BCCI has ensured ICC of visa clearances for Pakistan players at the apex body’s quarterly meetings last weekend, held in Dubai. 

BCCI to inform ICC about Indian Government's stand on tax exemption issue soon

As far as the tax exemption issue is concerned, the ICC is likely to get an update from BCCI on the position of the Indian government on the matter soon. While being awarded the hosting rights by ICC for three major tournaments in 2014, BCCI signed an agreement to help ICC (and all of its commercial partners involved in the tournament) get tax exemptions for the mega-events.

However, the Indian tax authorities informed ICC in 2022 that a 20% tax order (excluding surcharges) will be levied for its broadcast revenue from the 2023 World Cup. The BCCI has informed its members - state associations – through a note that any tax "incurred" by ICC would be "adjusted" against the Indian board's revenues from ICC's central revenue pool.

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