Reserve-day, super over and much more, know the rules of the World Cup and answers to big questions

World Cup 2023: The World Cup has returned to India after 12 years and this tournament is starting from today. In 2011, the tournament was jointly organized by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but this time only India is hosting the entire World Cup. Not only this, for the first time since 1987 the World Cup is being played in the month of October-November. Last time also the tournament was played in India and Pakistan. There will be many questions related to the World Cup in everyone's mind. There are some questions among them which arise with every match. You will find answers to some such questions here.

First of all, let us tell you that the first match of the World Cup is being played on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad between the current champion England and the last runner-up New Zealand. Host India's first match will be against Australia in Chennai on 8 October. After this basic information, now we give you answers to some important questions, which will make it easier for you to understand the rules during the World Cup.

How many teams are participating in the World Cup? What is the format of the tournament?

Like the World Cup held in England in 2019, this time also only 10 teams are participating. Apart from host India, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka are included. The format of the tournament is also the same as before – round robin. In this, every team will play one match each with the other teams. That means each team will play 9 matches.

In which cities will these matches be played? When and where will the semi-finals and finals take place?

A total of 10 venues have been decided for the World Cup – Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Dharamshala, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Pune. The semi-final matches of the World Cup will be played on 15 and 16 November. The first semi-final will be held on November 15 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, while the second semi-final will be held on November 16 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. However, there is a condition in this also. If the Indian team reaches the semi-finals then its match will be held in Mumbai only. If there is a clash between India and Pakistan in the semi-finals, then this match will be held in Kolkata only. The final match will be played on 19th November at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

How many points will the teams get? How will the decision be taken if there are equal points?

If a match is won, 2 points will be given, while if it is cancelled, 1 point each will be divided between both the teams. The top 4 teams scoring the most points will advance to the semi-finals and then the final. In the first semi-final, the first placed team in the points table will face the fourth placed team. The second and third placed teams will face each other in the second semi-final.

If the points of any two or three teams are equal, then in such a situation the team winning more matches will be on top. If the points and number of matches won by the teams are equal then the decision will be taken on the basis of net run rate. If there is a tie here too, then the ranking in the points table will be decided based on the result of the match between those teams. If that match is also cancelled, then the positions will be decided on the basis of seeding of both the teams at the beginning of the tournament.

For how many matches will there be reserve day?

The provision of reserve day is only for semi-finals and finals. One reserve day each has been kept for these three matches. However, according to the rules, the umpires' first attempt will be to end the match on the same day, even if overs are cut. In any situation, to complete the match (get the result), it is necessary to have a match of at least 20-20 overs.

If this does not happen, then the match will start from where it was stopped on the reserve day. If the match is not completed even on the reserve day, then whichever team is on top in the points table will go to the final. That means the final will be between the first and second placed teams. If the final match is not completed even on the reserve day, both the teams will be declared joint winners.

Will the decision be based on 'boundary count' like the 2019 World Cup?

ICC had abolished this rule after the controversy in the 2019 World Cup final. Now in case of a super over tie, the super over will be played again and this will happen until the winner is decided. This rule will be applicable from the first match till the final. If the match is tied in the semi-finals but due to any circumstances the super over is not possible then the team which is on top in the points table will reach the finals.

What time will the matches start? Where can it be seen?

A total of 45 league matches, 2 semi-finals and 1 final will be played in the World Cup between 5 October and 19 November. That means a total of 48 matches. Of these, 6 matches of the league stage will be 'day-match' and all the rest will be 'day-night' (including semi-finals and final). Day-matches will start at 10.30 am (Indian time), while day-night matches will start at 2.30 pm. All these matches can be seen on different channels of Star Sports. Team India's matches can also be watched on DD Sports. Online streaming can be seen on Hotstar.