Wankhede Stadium in the context of Parsi Gymkhana, Marine Drive

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the latter hosting World Cup matches for the first time. India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, thus becoming the first country to win the Cricket World Cup final on home soil. India's Yuvraj Singh was declared the player of the tournament. This was the first time in World Cup history that two Asian teams had contested the final. It was also the first time since the 1996 World Cup that the final did not feature Australia.

Fourteen national cricket teams took part in this tournament, including 10 full members and four associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The opening ceremony was held on 17 February 2011 at National Stadium, Dhaka, and the tournament was played from 19 February to 2 April. The first match was played between India and Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body of cricket in the world. It has a revenue of more than ₹9,700 crore (US$1.1 billion).

It is involved in talent development through grassroots programs and cricket academies. Its initiatives include coaching, infrastructure development, and player welfare programs designed to maintain and enhance India's competitive performance internationally.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is an international cricket competition established in 1975. It is contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's global governing body. The tournament generally takes place every four years. Most recently, the 2023 Cricket World Cup, hosted by India, was won by Australia, who beat India. The current trophy was instituted in 1999. It always remains with the ICC, and a replica is awarded to the winning team.For the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, the host nation and the seven other highest-ranked nations automatically qualify for the World Cup, while other nations including associate and affiliate ICC members play in a qualification tournament, the World Cup Qualifier. Though an associate member is yet to reach the final, Kenya did reach the semi-finals in 2003. Australia is the most successful team in the competition's history, winning six tournaments and finishing as runner-up twice. Twice, teams have won successive tournaments: the West Indies won the first two editions (1975 and 1979) and Australia won three in a row (1999, 2003, and 2007). Australia has played in the most finals (eight out of thirteen: 1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023). England has lost the most World Cup finals, ending as runner-up in all three final appearances before their victory in the 2019 tournament.

Of the twenty teams that have qualified for at least one Cricket World Cup, seven have contested a tournament final. Seven venues have hosted the final; only two of those – Lord's, in London, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground – have hosted multiple finals. India is the only country that has hosted a World Cup final at more than one venue, with Eden Gardens, Kolkata, hosting in 1987, Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium hosting in 2011 and Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting in 2023.

The final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup was played between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday 2 April 2011. India won the match by six wickets to win their second World Cup title after the 1983 tournament and became the third team to have won the title more than once, after Australia (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007) and the West Indies (1975 and 1979). India became the first country to win Cricket World Cup in their own country.

Both teams had progressed through three stages to reach the final. India had won all but two matches to that point, losing to South Africa and tying with England in the group stage. Sri Lanka had won all but two matches to that point, losing to Pakistan and a no result against Australia in the group stage. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara chose to bat first after winning the toss. The team scored slowly until the 17th over when they lost both their openers. Sangakkara added 62 runs with Mahela Jayawardene before being dismissed for 48 runs. Although wickets kept falling at one end, Jayawardene scored 103 runs in 88 balls; he was involved in a partnership of 66 runs with Thisara Perera. The pair took Sri Lanka's total to 274 runs at the close of the innings.