Tigers to play most World Cup matches in Kolkata and Guwahati?

The ICC 50-over World Cup is scheduled for October-November in India, and even though the fixtures of the flagship event has not been announced by the ICC, according to a report by Indian Express, Bangladesh are likely to play most of their matches in Kolkata and Guwahati.

The report also says that the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has emerged as the front-runner to host the high-profile India vs Pakistan match, the first match between the two arch-rivals on Indian soil since 2016.

This is, according to the report, in anticipation of a large number of fans who are expected to travel to India from abroad for the fixture.

The BCCI is expected to announce the World Cup schedule at a grand launch once the Indian Premier League is over.

If everything goes as per schedule, the 50-over World Cup will kick off from October 5, with Nagpur, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru and  Dharamshala being short-listed as venues, even for practice fixtures.

According to the report, Bangladesh could also play most of their matches in Kolkata and Guwahati as it would reduce the travel distance for fans from the neighbouring country. It also says that Pakistan could end up playing most of their matches in Chennai and Bengaluru due to security reasons. Kolkata's Eden Gardens is also being considered as a venue.

With October-November being the monsoon season, the BCCI is planning to wrap up the matches in the country's southern parts before the first week of November.

The BCCI has earmarked more than Rs 500 crore to upgrade stadiums across the country before the 50-over World Cup. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had earlier stated that the board will be upgrading its infrastructure, with clean toilets, easy access and clean seats the top priorities after recent criticism over the condition of stadiums.

"All existing infrastructure in the country will be upgraded before the World Cup. Assessment of the stadium has been done to engage with a wider cohort of fans in the IPL and during the World Cup. So upgrading infrastructure will be done during this period," Shah said.