Wankhede Stadium Gears Up For ODI World Cup 2023 As Tenders Floated For New LED Floodlights And Renovation Of Hospitality Boxes

JE Sports Desk: The 2011 World Cup Final venue -- Wankhede Stadium -- will undergo a major upgrade ahead of the upcoming quadrennial event as Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has floated tenders for the new LED floodlights at the venue.

Apart from the floodlights, Wankhede Stadium is set to welcome refurbished hospitality boxes for the ODI World Cup 2023 which will be played in October-November this year.

MS Dhoni-led India lifted their second ODI World Cup trophy in 2011 at Wankhede Stadium after a long wait of 28 years. The venue is among the five stadiums that have been marked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to undergo renovation and upgrade work before the mega event.

"Sealed tenders are invited for the proposed LED Flood Lighting system with DMX controls at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The scope of work is described in the tender document," MCA said on its website.

"Mumbai Cricket Association would be undertaking the renovation of hospitality boxes at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Association invites applications from reputed organisations to be appointed as Project Management Consultant who fulfil following eligibility criteria," read another release on MCA's website.

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, the ODI World Cup 2023 is likely to start on October 5 and the final will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.

BCCI has already notified at least more than 10 venues for the blockbuster tournament including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai apart from Ahmedabad.

The World Cup featuring 10 teams, will have 48 matches including three knockouts across the 46-day period, an ESPNcricinfo report said. Besides the final, the BCCI has not finalised the specified venues for any games as yet, or the two or three cities where teams will play the warm-ups. The complications posed by the monsoon season receding at different points in different parts of India has caused the delay.