The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 is likely to start on October 5 and end on November 19, a report said on Tuesday. A total of twelve venues have been selected for the marquee event, with the final scheduled to be played in Ahmedabad. A total of 48 matches will be played in 46 days. Besides, Ahmedabad, games will be played in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, and Mumbai, Cricinfo reported.
However, the International Cricket Council or ICC, the global governing body of cricket, is yet to announce the schedule of the event. Usually, the ICC announces the schedules at least a year in advance, but this time it has been waiting for the BCCI to get the necessary clearances from the Indian government on two issues - tax exemptions and visas for the Pakistan team. Pakistan has not played in India except at ICC events since early 2013.At the ICC's quarterly meetings held in Dubai earlier this month, the BCCI assured the global cricket body that visas for the Pakistan team will be cleared by the Indian government, the report said. India's relationship with Pakistan has soured in the last few years, due to which no team is playing for any bilateral trophy.
As per ICC norms, the host nation is required to get tax exemption from the government for hosting tournaments organised by the global body. But the Indian government charges 21.84 per cent tax surcharge on broadcast revenue and there is no exemption in its taxation rule. In October last year, the news agency PTI reported that the BCCI was trying to negotiate and bring down the tax surcharge percentage to 10.92 per cent from the existing demand of 21.84. It said that the BCCI could lose around Rs 955 crore if the central government sticks to its decision to levy 21.84 per cent tax surcharge on ICC’s broadcast revenue from the 2023 ODI World Cup. In 2011, India jointly hosted the World Cup with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
