T20 World Cup: 5 things fans will witness for the first time this year

Following the conclusion of IPL 2021, the biggest event in international cricket i.e ICC T20 World Cup is set to get underway. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be hosted by the BCCI in Oman and the United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 14 November. The T20 World Cup is set to be played amongst teams like  Oman, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Holland, Scotland, Ireland, England, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and India. While some of the cricket stars could be playing the final major tournament of their career, fans will get a chance to witness some new things through this tournament.

T20 World Cup: Here's the list of things that will be happening for the first time 

1.  All eyes will be on Virat Kohli's captaincy as he will be leading Team India for the first time in a T20 World Cup match. In the previous ICC T20 World Cup tournament, it was MS Dhoni who led the Men in Blue, but this time around, he will be mentoring the team.
2.  This will be the first time that associate nations like UAE and Oman will co-host the mega event which will be played from October 17 to November 14. 
3. Both Namibia and Papua New Guinea will be making their debut in the T20 World Cup and have been placed in the qualifying round of the tournament. The other 14 nations have played in the T20 World Cup before.
4. The ICC T20 World Cup event in UAE will not feature the host nation due to which the streak will end this year. The final match of the T20 World Cup will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on November 14.
5. This will be the first time that the Super 12 round will be played in the ICC T20 World Cup. From 2007 to 2012, the second round of the T20 World Cups featured eight teams and was called Super 8s. In 2014, the number of teams was increased to ten and named the round as Super 10s. By making the second stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, a Super 12 round the international cricket-governing body aims to take the sport to newer regions, and this step is a positive development in that direction.

T20 World Cup group stages

T20 World Cup fixtures

The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, clashing in the evening match on the same day. Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and Namibia — making up Group A - will be in action in Abu Dhabi the next day, with Round 1 matches running till October 22. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament, beginning on October 23.

The second round of the tournament – the Super 12 stage – will get underway in Abu Dhabi on October 23, with the Group 1 contest between Australia and South Africa. This will be followed by an evening clash between England and West Indies in Dubai. Old rivals England and Australia will lock horns in Dubai on 30 October. The group will conclude on November 6 with matches between Australia and West Indies in Abu Dhabi, and England and South Africa in Sharjah.

The first semi-final will be held in Abu Dhabi on 10 November at 6 pm local time. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on November 11. Both semi-finals have reserve days. The final match of the tournament will take place in Dubai on November 14, Sunday, with Monday acting as the reserve day for the final.