2027 Cricket World Cup Schedule: Tournament Details and India's Matches

Mohsin Naqvi, who previously caused controversy regarding his participation in the gold medal presentation ceremony, will now be unable to attend the final match of the men's tournament at the 2026 Asian Games between India and Pakistan.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officially confirmed that Naqvi, who serves as the chairman of the ACC and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), will not be in Japan on the day of the final due to prior commitments. The ACC wished good luck to all four teams advancing to the gold and bronze medal matches. Naqvi himself stated that his obligations would prevent him from being in Nagoya, but he eagerly anticipates watching the Asian Games matches.

India and Pakistan earned the right to participate in the men's final after impressive performances. India defeated Sri Lanka 124 in the semi-final, while Pakistan qualified for the final by beating Bangladesh in a rain-affected match. It is worth noting that India had previously won the men's cricket gold medal at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou.

The discussion about Mohsin Naqvi's presence at the final was not only due to his leadership roles in both the ACC and the PCB. This issue arose against the backdrop of incidents related to the presentation of trophies to Indian teams in the two previous Asia Cups. Questions were raised about potential consequences if Naqvi participated in the awards ceremony at the Asian Games.

During the 2025 men's Asia Cup, the Indian team declined to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. Similarly, at the 2026 women's Asia Cup, the Indian team also refused to receive the trophy from him during the ceremony. These events drew increased attention to Naqvi's presence at any major confrontation between India and Pakistan.

The confirmation that Mohsin Naqvi will not be present on the day of the final resolves one of the key issues concerning the awards ceremony. Now, the Asian Games organizers, the Olympic Council of Asia, and the Indian Olympic Association will not face questions related to Naqvi's participation in the award presentation ceremony.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a grand event in Cape Town to present the schedule for the men's ODI World Cup 2027. This event will mark the beginning of the largest cricket tournament on African soil in the last 23 years.

The tournament will take place from October 2 to November 21, 2027, in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The launch ceremony will be held at the Zeitz MOCAA Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday and will be broadcast live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network, starting at 20:30 IST (16:30 SAST) in India.

Alongside the release of the schedule, the ICC will open a global ticket lottery, giving fans worldwide the opportunity to win tickets to 57 matches that will be played across 12 host venues.

Ten of the 14 participating nations received direct qualification based on the September 30 cut-off date. Automatic qualification is guaranteed to the hosts—South Africa and Zimbabwe. They are joined by leading ODI teams such as India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

The remaining four spots will be determined through a multilateral global qualifying round early next year, which will include two-time champion West Indies.

For seasoned Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the 2027 ODI World Cup represents a final chance to conclude their brilliant international careers with a championship victory. Discussing this with JioStar, Rohit recalled the strong emotions from leading India in the 2024 T20 World Cup and expressed a strong desire to replicate that feeling in the 50-over format.

Rohit stated that winning the upcoming ODI World Cup is very important to him because he wants to experience that feeling again. He noted that winning the World Cup is a special experience for India, which he has already felt twice in the T20 format.

Virat Kohli, who won the 2011 ODI World Cup trophy in his home country, mentioned that his last appearance in the World Cup gives him all the necessary motivation to give his all on the field. He emphasized that his goal is to win the World Cup, and he is ready to do whatever it takes.

Meanwhile, the free ticket lottery will be available from October 1 to November 21, 2026. Fans can request up to four tickets per match across all categories, with allocation determined by random draw in case demand exceeds stadium capacity.

The first match of the three-match ODI tournament between India and West Indies will take place on September 27th at the Green Fields International Stadium in Tiruvannataruppuram. Attention of fans will be focused on the performances of Indian stars—Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The Indian team will take the field under the leadership of Shubman Gill, while the West Indies team will be captained by Shai Hope. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are currently playing only in the ODI format internationally, so their performance will be closely monitored. Captain Shubman Gill is also aiming for success in this game after a long wait for a major outing, and Kelleus Rahul is expected to play strongly in the middle order.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who returned from injury, demonstrated good bowling form during the recent T20 series against Afghanistan. However, in the match against West Indies, he will face the task of bowling more overs. It will be interesting to see how consistently he can maintain accuracy at a constant fast pace.

Mohammad Siraj has also returned to the attacking phase of the Indian team. While Prasidh Krishna is in excellent form, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav remain the primary options in spin bowling.

The probable Indian squad includes Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rituraj Gaikwad, Kelleus Rahul (as a batsman-vice-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Gunnor Barrar, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammad Siraj.

The West Indies squad looks like this: Shai Hope (captain/vice-keeper), John Campbell, Kesi Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Justin Griffin, Matthew Ford, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Zeden Silas, and Shamra Joseph.

Furthermore, the full Indian squad is presented, which includes Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rituraj Gaikwad, Kelleus Rahul (as a batsman-vice-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Akib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruva Jurel (as a batsman-vice-keeper), Gunnor Barrar, and Naman Diara. The full West Indies squad includes Shai Hope (captain/vice-keeper), John Campbell, Kesi Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, Justin Griffin, Amir Jangu, Matthew Ford, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Zeden Silas, Shamra Joseph, Joel Andrew, Vitell Loss, and Kim Pollard.