There can be 3 matches between India and Pakistan in the World Cup 2027.Image Credit source: Getty Images
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has surprised everyone with one of its decisions. The ICC headed by Jay Shah changed the format of the upcoming Men’s ODI World Cup 2027. The change in the format brought about by this decision taken in the ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) has come under question. Questions are being raised whether this has been done to organize more and more India-Pakistan matches? Let us tell you the reason why this question is arising.
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will together host this World Cup in 2027. In the last two ODI World Cups, there were only 10 teams each and this World Cup was played in round-robin format. There was only one league stage, after which the semi-finals and then the finals were played. This time 14 teams will participate in the World Cup and it was expected to be played on the 2003 format, in which there were two groups of 7 teams each, then Super-6 round and then semi-finals.
But ICC has suddenly changed it, due to which now only 12 out of 14 teams will go to the main round. They will be divided into two groups of 6-6, out of which 3-3 teams will go to the next round i.e. Super-7. The seventh team will be the fourth best team from both the groups. In this round all the teams will face each other and then the top-4 teams will reach the semi-finals. Super-7 round has been included in the World Cup for the first time, which is completely different from Super-6.
Now the question is about India-Pakistan match. In the last 2 World Cups, there was a possibility of playing maximum 2 matches between India and Pakistan and that too could not happen because Pakistan was eliminated in the league stage of both the World Cups. Now India-Pakistan match is the biggest source of revenue for ICC and broadcasters, which is not hidden from anyone. In such a situation, both of them wish that as many India-Pakistan matches as possible should be played.
Its possibility increases in the new format. How, let us explain. It is certain that India and Pakistan will be placed together in the group stage of the Super-12 round, which has now become an unspoken rule. Now ICC hopes that India and Pakistan will be present among the 7 teams going to the next round and this expectation is not wrong either. While Team India’s departure is almost certain, Pakistan is also expected to reach somehow. After all, Pakistan also makes its place among the 7 best teams of the world.
If this happens then there will be a clash between India and Pakistan in the Super-7 round. Now from here, if both the teams reach the semi-finals, then there can be a third clash between the two there or in the final. This means that overall India and Pakistan may face each other three times in this World Cup, which will be a profitable deal for ICC and the broadcaster. Now ICC can give any argument for this change but doubts over its intentions will remain constant.
