Mohali: PCA to host two international matches

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, July 25

The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has picked the IS Bindra PCA Stadium, Mohali, as the venue of two international matches, bringing glad tidings for the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), which was earlier disheartened over not hosting any match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The BCCI has announced that the Mohali stadium will host the first match of the three-match One Day International (ODI) series of Australia’s tour in India. The match is slated to be held on September 22. The IS Bindra PCA Stadium will then host one of the T20 matches of Afghanistan’s tour in India. The first match of the three-match T20 series is scheduled for January 11 next year.

Afghanistan will be in India for their maiden white-ball bilateral tour. The three-match T20I series will take place in Mohali and Indore, and the final in Bengaluru, the venue where Afghanistan played their first-ever Test match.

“The BCCI’s tours, fixtures and technical committee confirmed the venues for the home season, 2023-24. The Indian team is scheduled to play a total of 16 international matches, comprising five Tests, three ODIs and eight T20Is. The Tours, Fixtures and Technical Committee of the BBCI, comprising Amitabh Vijayvargiya, Jayendra Sahgal and Hari Narayan Pujari, has confirmed the venues allocated as per the BCCI venue rotation policy,” stated a BCCI’s commune. The home season will commence with India hosting Australia for a three-match ODI series. The series will be held in Mohali, Indore and Rajkot.

Last month, Mohali was excluded from the roster of hosting ICC World Cup matches. It is among the main Test centres of the BCCI, and also hosted the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup between India and Pakistan.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla had claimed that the stadium did not meet the ICC standards, and was dropped as one of the venue options for the mega event. Shukla also stated that Mohali has been given many big matches in the past, including the 100th Test of Virat Kohli.