India-Pakistan World Cup tie to be played on October 15: Report

The much-awaited India vs Pakistan match is most likely to be held on October 15, according to a report on Cricbuzz. It is understood that India will kick-start their World Cup campaign against Australia in Chennai. 

However, there is no official confirmation from the BCCI or the ICC regarding the schedule. The dates will likely be announced after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. 

The first match of the tournament will be played on October 5 between 2019 finalists England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where the final will also be played on November 19.

According to the same report, Pakistan have also agreed to travel to India for the mega event. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is skeptical of playing India in Ahmedabad, which is believed to be one of the main reasons for the PCB chief Najam Sethi's visit to the ICC headquarters in Dubai. At the same time, the PCB has no hesitation in playing the final at the Narendra Modi, should their team make it that far.

The PCB are in talks with the ICC to have the venues altered according to their wish. Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru have been earmarked as venues for all Pakistan matches. The Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is expected to get a semi-final clash. Each team will play nine league matches - just like it was done in 2019 - with most cricketing hubs in the country likely to get a match.

The World Cup will consist of 48 matches, with eight teams having already directly qualified for the mega event. 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.