Two Ranji Trophy matches have been moved from Raipur after an NGT order stopped domestic cricket at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
Published: November 9, 2026, 8:17 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/cricket/raipur-stadium-barred-from-domestic-cricket-two-ranji-trophy-matches-shifted-8543491/
Raipur Stadium loses Ranji Trophy matches (Image – X)
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur has seen many cricket matches in recent monthsBut the stadium is now in troubleThe National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stopped cricket matches from being played thereBecause of this, two Ranji Trophy matches have been moved to other groundsIt is not clear when cricket matches will be played at the stadium again.
The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS), which owns the stadium in New Raipur, had to ask the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to move two of its Ranji Trophy matches to other grounds.
The first match was between Chhattisgarh and AndhraIt was going to be played in Raipur from October 26 to 29But it will now be played at the Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground in Mulapadu, near VijayawadaThis means Chhattisgarh will not get to play this match in Raipur.
The team’s next match has also been movedChhattisgarh were going to play against Hyderabad from November 2But the match will now take place at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad.
An official from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) also spoke about the changeHe said that Andhra will now play the match against Chhattisgarh at its own groundThis happened because the BCCI changed the ground at the last moment.
Chhattisgarh still have one more home match left in the Ranji TrophyThey will play against Tripura in FebruaryBut it is not clear where the match will be playedIf the Raipur stadium is still not allowed to host matches, Chhattisgarh may have to play this game at another ground too.
The NGT order has caused trouble for Chhattisgarh cricketThe team has already lost the chance to play two matches in RaipurThe CSCS will now have to wait for more news about the stadiumIt is still not clear if Chhattisgarh will be able to play against Tripura in Raipur in February.“There are a couple of reasons for shifting the matchesWe have undertaken renovation work at the ground and, of course, there is an NGT orderThat is why we are unable to host the games,” a CSCS official has explained.
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium was earlier owned by the Chhattisgarh State GovernmentBut in January 2026, the government gave the stadium to the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) to look afterThe CSCS got the right to run the stadium for 30 yearsIt can also ask to continue the deal after 30 yearsHowever, the CSCS has faced problems because of the NGT orders since taking charge of the stadium.
The stadium hosted its first international match in October 2023It was an ODI between India and New ZealandIn December 2023, India played a T20I against Australia at the same groundThe stadium later hosted an ODI between India and South Africa in December 2025India also played a T20I against New Zealand at the ground in January 2026.
The stadium also hosted two home matches of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in MayIn October, India and Zimbabwe played three women’s T20I matches at the ground.
A CSCS official said that there was no NGT order stopping matches at the stadium when RCB played its IPL matches thereThe official also said that the CSCS had taken permission from the NGT to hold the three women’s matches on October 16, 18 and 20.
The official said that the stadium’s next matches will depend on the NGT’s decisionThe next hearing will take place in December.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh are fifth in Group B of the Ranji Trophy Elite 2026-27 points tableThe team have played four matches so farThey have won one, lost two and have one other result.
