With England Cricket Board hosting the previous two World Test Championship Final and the upcoming WTC final between Australia and South Africa later in June this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had expressed interest in making a bid for hosting the WTC final in 2027. According to a report by The Guardian, the Indian board wants to stage the WTC final after the WTC cycle and had submitted the intention for the bid for the 2027 final at the meeting of the ICC Chief Executives Committee in Zimbabwe last month.
“The Guardian has learned that India expressed their intention to bid for the 2027 final at a meeting of the ICC’s chief executives committee in Zimbabwe last month. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is represented on the ICC committee by its chief executive, Arun Singh Dhumal, while his predecessor Jay Shah is chair of the ICC, so a formal Indian bid would be regarded as a fait accompli,” the report in The Guardian stated.
Rose Bowl in Hampshire, England had played host to the 2021 WTC final between India and New Zealand before The Oval hosted the WTC final between India and Australia. This year, the WTC final will be played between Australia and South Africa at Lords from June 11 to June 25. According to the report, the ECB is pushing for a quick decision on the matter. The report also stated that the tickets for this year’s WTC final have been sold out for the first four days and the ICC has concerns over poor attendance in case the 2027 WTC final happens in India. “While the England and Wales Cricket Board had not assumed it would host the WTC final in perpetuity, the English summer and a strong domestic ticket market regardless of which teams qualify makes it a natural venue. The ECB is understood to be pushing for a quick decision, as it will need time to arrange an additional home Test for England in 2027 if the WTC final is taken elsewhere. The ICC has concerns about taking the WTC final to India however, chiefly the prospect of poor ticket sales should India fail to qualify. Next month’s final at Lord’s is sold out for the first four days, while the 2023 final at the Oval was also sold out despite England not being involved,” the report added.
The 2025-2027 WTC cycle will continue with the nine-team single division format and it begins with India’s five Test tour to England starting June 20. According to the report, it has also to be seen how things will go if India gets the right to host the 2027 WTC final and if Pakistan qualifies for the WTC final with the ICC tournaments having a hybrid model from this year’s Champions Trophy where both the teams will only play each other in ODI and T20 tournaments at a neutral venue.
