T20 World Cup scheduling format could hurt India

The schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup has accounted a reserve day for both semi-finals. But, there is tight turnaround between the last-four stage and the final. The two semi-finals are slated to be played on 26 and 27 June with the final on 29 June. In the off chance the second semi-final gets pushed, the team that goes through to the marquee clash will have less than a day to travel, prepare and re-energise.

Making the whole process even more challenging could be the task of moving from Providence in Guyana to Bridgetown in Barbados.

The affected party could well turn out to be the 2007 T20 World Cup champions India. As per schedule, India would play the second semi-final on 27 June at 8:30 PM IST should they get that far in the competition.

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“It was also confirmed during the meetings that ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 would have reserve days scheduled for the semi-finals and final,” the ICC had said through in a media release about reserve days for the tournament in West Indies and USA, which gets underway on 1 June.

It remains to be seen whether ICC and Cricket West Indies (CWI) consider moving the final by a day to give the potentially aggreieved team some breathing room before the final.

This is an unusual scenario for the upcoming event, something that hasn’t been a challenge in the past. At the ODI World Cup in India last year, the second semi-final (between South Africa and Australia) was played on 16 November and final on 19 November.

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In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, the second semi-final (between India and England) was played on 10 November and final on 13 November. Even further back, at the 2021 World Cup in UAE, the second semi-final (between Pakistan and Australia) was held on 11 November with the final on 14 November (between Australia and New Zealand).