Delhi to host World Cup 2011 final

New Delhi, July 17 (UNI) The Capital landed the final of the 2011 World Cup while Sri Lanka and Pakistan were allotted the semifinals of cricket's showpiece event.

However, Feroze Shah Kotla won't be the venue for the final showdown and instead, BCCI would construct a spanky new stadium in the capital for the grand finale.

The Asian bloc, comprising cricket boards in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have sorted out hosting of the matches.

Accordingly, Bangladesh has been allotted the opening ceremony while Sri Lanka and Pakistan will host the semifinals, while India landed the final. We decided to hold it in Delhi and it would be the new stadium, and not Kotla, which would host the final.

Representatives of the Asian bloc members met recently in London to finalise allotment of matches and it was also decided that the first semifinal would take place at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium while the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo would be venue for the second.

The new BCCI stadium would be built on a 70-acre land between Maharani Bagh area and the banks of the Yamuna in south Delhi.

Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosted the 1987 World Cup final and Delhi would be the second Indian city to host it in 2011.

UNI AY DH PC2006