India vs Pakistan in World Cup 2023 to take place on October 15: Report

India and Pakistan are set to face off against each other on Oct. 15 in the ICC Cricket World Cup this year.

The 2023 World Cup is scheduled to begin on Oct. 5, with 2019 finalists New Zealand and England playing the opening encounter in Ahmedabad, reported Cricbuzz. The final will also be played at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Nov. 19.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium is expected to get a semi-final clash. It hosted the final when the tournament was last hosted by India in 2011, when MS Dhoni and Co lifted the trophy by beating Sri Lanka in the final.

Apart from Ahmedabad and Mumbai, the other earmarked host cities for the tournament are Kolkata, Delhi, Indore, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Rajkot, Raipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, with Mohali and Nagpur missing out from the list.

There is still no official confirmation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the schedule for this year’s mega event. The dates will likely be announced after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

India’s opening game of 2023 World Cup is likely to be against five-time champions Australia at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium.

While Pakistan have agreed to travel to India for the 50-over World Cup this year, their cricket board is uncertain of playing India in Ahmedabad, the same report has further revealed. It is believed to be one of the major reasons behind Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi's visit to the ICC headquarters in Dubai.

PCB, meanwhile, are not reluctant to play the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, should Babar Azam and Co make it that far. Pakistan are set to play its group games at venues across Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru at the World Cup later this year, but the PCB are in talks with the ICC to have the venues changed according to their wish.

In this year’s tournament, each team will play nine league matches - just like it was done in 2019.

There will be a total of 48 matches in the World Cup 2023, with eight teams having already directly qualified for the much-awaited tournament. The remaining two teams will be determined during the Qualifiers in June-July where Zimbabwe (Qualifier hosts), West Indies, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Ireland, Nepal, Oman, Scotland and UAE will compete.