Ace Indian batter Virat Kohli will seemingly not get a chance to play in front of his home crowd in New Delhi next month, with the first ODI against Sri Lanka all set to be moved to a different venue as work continues on the outfield of the Arun Jaitley Stadium and is unlikely to be completed by December, according to a report in The Hindu.
New Delhi was scheduled to host the series opener when the games were announced in March. But the shift to a sand-based outfield means the Arun Jaitley Stadium will not be ready to host cricket until IPL 2027.
India last played an ODI at the venue in October 2023, registering an eight-wicket win against Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup on October 11.
“It will take around four months for the work to be completed.
Mullanpur, Lucknow and nearly 75% of the venues in the country have sand-based outfields. It makes a massive difference to the drainage system and will help get the ground ready after rain without much delay,” a source said while speaking to The Hindu.
Earlier reports suggested that the Delhi & District Cricket Association was planning to renovate the stadium’s outfield.
“When the work gets completed, there will be no need to cover the entire ground in case of rain. Puddles would not form on the outfield,” the source said.
The proposed renovation had forced Delhi to shift their Ranji Trophy home games to the Airforce Complex Ground in Palam. After their second-round draw against Gujarat, Delhi will take on Services at the heavily guarded venue as well, located adjacent to the airport, from Monday.
Delhi are scheduled to host Maharashtra in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy.
Meanwhile, last month, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had dismissed reports suggesting that the game could be moved to Ahmedabad because of ongoing renovation work at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
