Cricket & archery well placed for Commonwealths spot

Cricket's cause is helped by the fact at least two team sports will be added for 2030. Hockey and rugby sevens would be other options.

Badminton, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, diving, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, squash, triathlon and para triathlon and wrestling are other sports under consideration.

India can also propose two new sports as host nation and push others that have significance at home. No final decisions have been made.

Ahmedabad will be the Commonwealth's centenary Games and events will held in the 120,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, which has hosted two cricket World Cup finals in recent years.

India has also expressed a keen interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, with this potentially a key step in the road.

"Any sporting event will be a step towards that," Iyer said. "We are looking purely at ensuring that these Commonwealth Games are one of the best that have been held."

The reduced programme in Glasgow has helped slash the cost of hosting the Games from around £800m to £160m.

Organisers have been keen to claim this repurposed structure will be cheaper and more appealing for future hosts, but the sporting programme will rise to 17 in Ahmedabad.

"17 is, we think, the right number," Sadlier said.

"The Victoria Games was 26 sports. We recognised we needed to reset and bring the Games into something that was affordable around the Commonwealth.

"What we have done here has been brilliant but we will bring back a few sports. We won't go beyond that number."

Sadlier also rejected concerns around the cut through of the Glasgow Games, given there has been no live television coverage on a major channel in the UK.

"We have got more broadcast deals signed for this Games than we ever have," she said.

"Globally, the reach has been exceptional. On socials we broke the targets from Birmingham last week. It has been an amazingly covered Games."