October 5 2023: Today’s Doodle celebrates the opening day of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. This year, it is India’s turn to host the quadrennial flagship tournament — the 13th edition since its start in 1975. Ten national squads are set to compete for the first place trophy.
45 matches will be played in the group stage, with each team set to face all the others once. This year, teams from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka will be participating. Only four teams will progress to the knockout stage, which consists of two semi-final matches and one cup final in Ahmedabad. The tournament will be played all across India, at stadiums in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Dharamsala and Pune.
The first match takes place today - between 2019’s returning champions, England and runners-up, New Zealand, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.