As part of decisions taken at the BCCI Apex council meeting, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has been chosen to host the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup, while Mumbai and Kolkata have been slotted for the semi-finals. Dharamsala has also been earmarked to host a knockout match, and may very well be the destination for one of the first stage groups in the competition, featuring the Associate nations and either of Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.
There are 45 matches slated to be held in the tournament that will see the participation of 16 teams, including Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, Namibia and Oman, who have been grouped alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first round.
Dharamsala was the designated ground for the first round in the 2016 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup held in India as well, where Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Oman competed in the first stage of the competition. However, Ireland wouldn’t have happy memories if they have to play at the same venue again, as they lost out on qualifying into the main draw with their crucial group match getting abandoned due to rain.
The grounds in Hyderabad and Lucknow have been chosen as back-up venues due to the Covid-19 situation in India. Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Oman and Sri Lanka are placed in Group A, while Group B will see the Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland and Bangladesh competing against each other.
