ICC comes out with yet another proposal, wants T20 World Cup expanded to 20 teams 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering expanding the T20 World Cup from 16 to 20 teams from the 2023-31 cycle, according to The Telegraph UK.

The ICC wants cricket to match the popularity of sports like football and basketball, and feels that the best way to do that would be to increase the number of teams, which in turn will increase fan engagement and viewership.

The Telegragh reported that the proposal is “a part of broader discussions for the shape of international cricket calendar from 2023-2031”. The first T20 World Cup in this cycle is scheduled for 2024.

The likely new entrants in the tournament will be USA, Canada, Germany, Nepal and Nigeria. If the format of the tournament does expand to 20 teams, ICC has two formats in mind. First is the current two-tier format in which lower-ranked teams play the qualifiers to reach the main competition which includes the top countries.

The second format could have four groups of five teams each with the top sides from each group progressing to the knockout stage.

Earlier, the apex council had put forward the proposal to organise a flagship event every year as a plan to enter the global media rights markets, which, along with all other recent proposals, will be discussed in a meeting to be held in Dubai in March.