The 2023 ODI World Cup has reached its final leg where a mega showdown at the biggest cricket stadium in the world awaits.
When the tournament began last month, there were several concerns. Delays in announcing the schedule, finalising venues, and releasing tickets led to fears of chaos. The opening match of the tournament between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad was played at a largely empty Narendra Modi Stadium and the opening week saw a lukewarm response, leading to the belief that ODI cricket was on its way out.
But as the tournament went on, matches became interesting. Scores in excess of 380 and 400 became common, spinners and pacers made their mark and batsmen plundered runs almost every match. And with hosts India on an unstoppable run, the viewership on screens and at the grounds soared.
On Wednesday, Rohit Sharma's team booked their spot in the final of the World Cup after a commanding win over New Zealand in Mumbai.
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has witnessed many historical moments, including MS Dhoni's six over long on that sealed India's World Cup win in 2011. On Wednesday, it watched Virat Kohli enter the record books as the first batsman to score 50 ODI centuries, helping India set up a 70-run victory in a high-scoring match.
That means the team in blue will fight it out for the 50-over title in Ahmedabad on Sunday, hoping to secure the legacy of the golden generation of Indian cricket with their first major title in a decade.
When is the 2023 World Cup final?
The ODI World Cup 2023 final takes place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19. The match starts at 12.30pm UAE time.
The venue has a capacity of 132,000 and it is almost guaranteed to be full. The final should, therefore, register the highest ever attendance for any cricket match.
More than one million fans have already attended matches at the World Cup with the semi-final between India and New Zealand attracting peak concurrent viewership of 53 million. Viewership figures are expected to be broken on Sunday.
How to watch Cricket World Cup final in the UAE?
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is being shown on CricLife Max via eLife channel 777 for Dh175, Switch TV app for Dh29 weekly, or Dh99 for the Tournament Pass, and the Starzplay app in the UAE. The annual package for cricket on the Starzplay app can be purchased for Dh199.99.
Prize money
The winners of the 2023 ODI World Cup will receive $4 million from an overall prize purse of $10 million.
The losing finalists will take home $2 million, while the losing semi-finalists will get $800,000 each.
Those who left the tournament in the group stage did not go empty-handed. The winners of each match in the group stage received $40,000 and the six teams that do not qualify for the semi-finals were also given $100,000.
