Raipur off limits for domestic cricket; BCCI shifts two Ranji matches
The venue has suddenly become out of bounds for domestic cricket following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT)
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur has, lately, been one of the busiest cricket venues in central India. But it has suddenly become out of bounds for domestic cricket following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). As a consequence, a couple of Ranji Trophy matches had to be shifted out of the venue, and there is a bit of uncertainty over its availability in the immediate future.
The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS), which owns the stadium in New Raipur, had to request the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to shift a couple of Ranji Trophy matches out of the city recently. The October 26-29 fixture between Chhattisgarh and Andhra, originally scheduled to be played in Raipur, was moved to the Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground in Mulapadu, near Vijayawada.
The next match, against Hyderabad, scheduled to begin on November 2, was also shifted to the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad. An Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) official confirmed that their away fixture against Chhattisgarh effectively became a home game after the BCCI changed the venue at the last minute.
One more Ranji Trophy fixture, against Tripura in February, is supposed to be a home game for Chhattisgarh, but there is no guarantee at this stage that it will be played in Raipur. “There are a couple of reasons for shifting the matches. We have undertaken renovation work at the ground and, of course, there is an NGT order. That is why we are unable to host the games,” a CSCS official has explained.
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium originally belonged to the Chhattisgarh State Government. However, in January 2026, its management was handed over to the CSCS, which took the stadium on a 30-year lease, with an option to renew it. Since taking over its management, the CSCS has had to contend with the NGT orders.
The venue hosted its first international fixture in October 2023 - an ODI between India and New Zealand. There was then a T20I against Australia in December 2023, an ODI vs South Africa in December 2025 and a T20I against New Zealand in January 2026. It also hosted a couple of home games for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in May and, more recently in October, staged three women’s T20 Internationals between India and Zimbabwe. The CSCS official said there was no NGT order in place during the IPL fixtures, and the association had obtained permission from the tribunal to host the three women’s internationals on October 16, 18 and 20.
The CSCS official said the staging of future fixtures would depend on the NGT's decision. The next hearing is scheduled for December.
Chhattisgarh are currently placed fifth in the Group B points table of Ranji Trophy Elite 2026-27, with one win and two losses in four fixtures.
