New Zealand is seeking the hosting rights for the 2023 Netball World Cup. Netball NZ last month submitted an "expression of interest" to the Int'l Netball Federation to host the event in '23 and will "present its formal bid to Council in June." The pitch will center on plans to "tie the tournament into broader celebrations around the game," with Netball NZ to mark its centenary year in '23 (STUFF, 2/12).
Developer Codemasters and the World Rallycross Championship launched an esports series based on the DiRT 4 game. The winner of the DiRT World Championships will receive a test in an RX2 car at the British round of the World RX series, SpeedMachine, held at Silverstone. Motorsport Network will act as media partner to the DiRT World Championships (MOTORSPORT, 2/12).
Pune, India, may no longer be home to an Indian Premier League franchise. The Maharashtra Cricket Association staked claim to host two of the four playoff games of the IPL's upcoming edition at its int'l stadium on the outskirts of the city. MCA President Abhay Apte, in a letter addressed to IPL Chair Rajiv Shukla on Monday, cited IPL's practice of awarding the first qualifier and final to the defending champion, while the eliminator and second qualifier are "usually staged at the home of the previous season's losing finalist" (THE HINDU, 2/12).
