T20 World Cup 2022 to start from October 16 in Australia, MCG to host final on November 13

The ICC has confirmed the dates and venues for next year's T20 World Cup which will be played in Australia.

The ICC has confirmed the dates and venues for next year's T20 World Cup, which will be held across seven different cities in Australia. The tournament will kick off on October 16 with the Melbourne Cricket Ground hosting the final on November 13.

Australia will host their maiden T20 World Cup. (Getty)

A total of 45 matches will be played Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The two semi-finals will be played on November 9 and November 10 in Sydney and Adelaide respectively.

"With the unprecedented disruptions over the past two years, bringing the ICC Men's T20 World Cup to Australia for the first time offers a perfect opportunity for fans across the whole country to experience the joy of a live global sporting event again," said Michelle Enright, the tournament's CEO.

"The ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2020 produced some incredible moments and created memories that will live with Australian cricket fans forever. Now it's time for the men’s event to take centre stage and claim its own place in history."

Defending Champions Australia, along with New Zealand, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh have already qualified for the Super 12s, while Sri Lanka, West Indies, Scotland, Namibia, and four more teams will feature in the first round. The official fixtures will be released in January.

This will mark the first instance of a T20 World Cup being played in Australia. Originally supposed to take place in 2021, Covid-19 pandemic altered the plans, but defending champions Australia managed to hold on to hosting rights.