Ranji Trophy Matches Shifted! NGT Order Pushes Domestic Cricket Out Of Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur has been one of central India's busiest cricket venues in recent weeks. An order from the National Green Tribunal has now pushed it out of domestic cricket, forcing Ranji Trophy fixtures away from the venue and leaving its near-term availability uncertain.

The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS), which owns the stadium in New Raipur, asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to shift two Ranji matches away from the city. The Chhattisgarh-Andhra fixture, scheduled for October 26-29 and originally meant for Raipur, moved to Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground in Mulapadu, near Vijayawada.

The Hyderabad match that follows, scheduled to start on November 2, was also moved, with Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad taking over as host. An Andhra Cricket Association official said the change effectively turned Chhattisgarh's away fixture against Andhra into a home game after the BCCI switched venues at the last minute.

A third Chhattisgarh home fixture, against Tripura in February, is also unsettled, and Raipur has no firm guarantee yet. “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 said.

Lease And Oversight

The stadium once belonged to the Chhattisgarh State Government. In January 2026, the CSCS took over management on a 30-year lease, with an option to renew it.

Since then, the association has had to contend with NGT orders. A hearing is set for December, and the CSCS official said future fixtures will hinge on the tribunal's decision.

International Fixture History

The venue has also hosted a steady stream of higher-profile matches. Its first international outing was an October 2023 ODI between India and New Zealand. That was followed by a T20I against Australia in December 2023, an ODI against South Africa in December 2025 and another T20I against New Zealand in January 2026.

It also hosted a pair of Royal Challengers Bengaluru home games in May and, more recently in October, three women's T20 Internationals involving India and Zimbabwe. The CSCS official said the IPL matches were staged without any NGT order in force, and the tribunal later cleared the association to hold the three women's internationals on October 16, 18 and 20.

Chhattisgarh Standings

Chhattisgarh are fifth in the Group B points table of Ranji Trophy Elite 2026-27, with one win and two losses from four fixtures.