Press Trust of India
Mumbai, Dec 11: Call it coincidence or what, but then cricket organisers all over the world do not let go the opportunity of hosting an India-Pakistan match. The ICC is also no exception and it may harp on rankings and many other issues, but the fact is they try and fit India and Pakistan in the same group in any world event, thereby guaranteeing at least one game between the arch rivals. The fixtures announced for the World T20 in India were no exception and India were again clubbed in the same pool as Pakistan with the two sides scheduled to face-off at Dharamsala, March 19.
The ICC unveiled Friday the groups and schedule of the event, which will be staged across eight venues in India from March 8 to April 3.
India will open their campaign March 15 against New Zealand in Nagpur before taking on Pakistan. India’s other matches will be against the qualifying Group A winners in Bangalore, March 23 and Australia at Mohali, March 27.
Fifty eight matches – 35 men’s and 23 women’s games, will be played in the 27-day tournament in Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, New Delhi and Nagpur.
New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semifinals, March 30 and 31, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the April 3 final.
ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, who attended the launch ceremony here, said, “India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game. I am fully confident that the BCCI will deliver an outstanding world cricket event, just like the ICC Cricket World Cups in 1987, 1996 and 2011. The ICC and BCCI are fully committed and will work together to make this a memorable event.”
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur promised a well-organised World Cup. “We, as hosts, are fully prepared to organise one of the most entertaining spectacles in world cricket. We draw experience from hosting three ICC Cricket World Cups and are ready to make the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 one of the most memorable events.”
The women’s semifinals and final will be followed by the men’s knockout matches. There is a reserve day for the final.
The men’s event will carry a prize money of USD 5.6 million, which is an 86 per cent increase from the 2014 tournament, while the total prize money for the women’s event is USD 400,000, which is a 122 per cent increase from the Bangladesh event.