NEW DELHI: The eighth edition of the T20 World Cup is now around the corner and 16 top teams from across the world will once again battle it out for the glittering trophy that currently is in possession of hosts Australia.
The competition officially begins October 16 and a total of 45 matches are set to be played across 7 venues -- Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
While the semis will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Adelaide Oval, the final will be hosted by the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13th.
THE 16 TEAMS:
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, UAE, Netherlands and Zimbabwe are officially the teams participating in this year's tournament Down Under.
THE FORMAT:
The event format will be group stage matches to determine 4 qualifier teams in Round 1, followed by the Super 12s (where 8 teams will be waiting for the 4 qualifiers) and then the knockouts (semis and final).
Beginning October 16, Round 1 of the T20 World Cup will commence which will see 8 teams competing for a place in the Super 12 phase of the tournament.
Teams in Round 1 (Qualifiers):
Group A - Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates
Group B - Ireland, Scotland, West Indies and Zimbabwe
The top two teams in both Groups A and B will advance to the Super 12 phase where they will meet the other 8 already qualified teams.
The Super 12 phase begins on October 22 and comprises 2 Groups, each of which will have 6 teams - 4 teams which have already qualified plus two qualifiers each from Round 1.
SUPER 12 GROUPS:
Group 1 -Australia, England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Group A Winner and Group B Runner-up
Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand will kick-start the Super 12 phase on October 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground while the high-octane marquee clash - the India vs Pakistan match is set to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.
Teams in both Groups 1 and 2 will lock horns once each with the other 5 teams in their groups to try and finish in the top two.
The top 4 teams (2 from each group) of the Super 12 phase will then qualify for the semi-finals.
THE SEMI-FINALS:
The first semi-final will be played on November 9 in Sydney, while the second semi-final will be played on November 10 in Adelaide.
THE FINAL:
After a gap of two days the Final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will be held at the iconic MCG on November 13.
