4 venues which hosted 2016 T20 World Cup matches but will not host WC 2023
India will play host to an ICC event for the first time since the 2016 T20 World Cup later this year when the Cricket World Cup (WC 2023) takes place across 10 Indian cities. Nine out of the 10 host cities will get an opportunity to play host to a match involving Team India.
Hyderabad was unlucky to miss out on a match of the Indian team, but fans should note that Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium did not receive the hosting rights of a single match in the 2016 T20 World Cup as well. In fact, even Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Chennai were not among the host cities for the mega event in 2016, but they will host the 2023 mega event.
Similarly, some cities which hosted the 2016 T20 World Cup games have missed out this year. Here's a list of four venues which hosted 2016 T20 WC's warm-up matches or main-round games but are not a part of the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
Nagpur hosted the opening match of the Super 10 round in T20 World Cup 2016, where hosts India battled against the New Zealand side. The pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium was not the best for batting. The Blackcaps scored 126/7 while batting first and managed to win the match by 47 runs.
After ignoring Nagpur for World Cup, now BCCI allots T20 against Australia to Nagpur on December 1,2023.
@BCCI @LokmatTimes_ngp
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#vca pic.twitter.com/tJ79EUHu6i
Apart from the India vs New Zealand match, Nagpur also played host to the South Africa vs West Indies and West Indies vs Afghanistan matches in the Super 10 round. The venue hosted six matches of Round 1 as well, but it was not selected for the 2023 World Cup.
#2 Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium hosted the famous Super 10 match between India and Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup, where Virat Kohli's heroics helped the home side qualify for the semifinals. Mohali also played host to the New Zealand vs Pakistan and Australia vs Pakistan matches.
The officials of Major Cricket centers, which have not been allocated an ODI World Cup 2023 matches, have expressed their disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to host games.
Established cricket centres like Mohali, Indore, Rajkot, Ranchi & Nagpur missed out. (To PTI) pic.twitter.com/f0mksfRAYR
Since Mohali hosted the 2011 World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan as well, fans expected the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium to be present on the list of venues for the 2023 World Cup. Unfortunately, Mohali did not get a single match.
#3 Sector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh
Sectory 16 Stadium of Chandigarh rarely hosts any matches. The venue, however, got the hosting rights for two matches of the warm-up round in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Afghanistan battled the Netherlands on March 4, while Scotland took on the Dutch on March 6 at the venue in Chandigarh.
The BCCI has shortlisted Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and Hyderabad as the host cities of warm-up matches this year.
#4 Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host multiple matches in the 2023 World Cup, including the India vs Sri Lanka clash and a semifinal match. However, Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium did not receive any matches.
The Brabourne Stadium hosted warm-up matches involving England and South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup. The venue played host to league-stage matches of IPL 2022 as well, but it has been ignored for the 2023 World Cup.