The BCCI wants to bid for the 2027 World Test Championship Final. The last couple of finals were held by ECB, while the next has Australia and South Africa in June. According to the Guardian report, BCCI is looking to submit a bid for the 2027 final and mentioned it during the ICC Chief Executives Committee meeting in Zimbabwe last month.
The report says Japan Chief Executive Arun Singh Dhumal was present and, together with ICC Chair Jay Shah, it seems India will go ahead with a formal bid. The 2021 final between India and New Zealand was held at the Rose Bowl in England, and last year India met England at The Oval. This year, however, the final is at Lord’s from June 11 possibly till the 25th, with tickets sold out for the first four days.
The ICC remains wary about ticket sales in case India is not qualified and the game is hosted in India itself. This does not mean that the ECB expects to always host the final; the UK summer is arguably one of the best places to hold the event given the available local ticket market. A decision is being sought urgently as this issue impacts the possibility of an additional Test being arranged for England in 2027 should the final be relocated elsewhere.
The next WTC cycle will proceed with nine teams from India’s Test series in England starting on the 20th of June. One wonders how the 2027 final could be in India if that were to take place alongside a Pakistan in final.
