In anticipation of the upcoming 50-over World Cup scheduled to take place in India later this year, West Indies cricket legend, Chris Gayle, has shared his predictions for the tournament.

Gayle believes that India, England, Pakistan, and New Zealand will be the four semi-finalists in the tournament.

The highly anticipated India-Pakistan match at the 2023 World Cup is scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15.

Recognizing the enormous popularity and viewership generated by matches between India and Pakistan, Gayle emphasized the financial significance of such encounters.

“Whenever those teams [India and Pakistan] play, especially in a World Cup, the revenues they generate is humongous. One game can take care of the entire ICC event. Pakistan and India players should demand a lot of money for those games because those games are high paid games TV wise,” Gayle told PTI.

Gayle humorously mentioned that if he were in a position of authority within the cricket boards or the ICC, he would advocate for significantly higher financial compensation for players participating in these high-profile matches.

“I don’t control the board or the ICC. If I was in their position I would want a lot more,” he added.

Meanwhile, the rates for hotels in Ahmedabad have experienced a significant surge after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that arch-rivals will take on each other in the city.

The prices for hotel accommodations have increased by nearly tenfold, even though many rooms were already sold out for that day. Some hotels are even charging close to 100,000 Indian rupees (INR), whereas their usual rates range from INR5,000 to INR8,000 for the same room on a regular day.

With the Narendra Modi Stadium having a capacity of approximately 132,000 spectators, it is expected to be completely filled as these arch-rivals go head to head once again.