Why has Kerala Ranji Trophy team returned to Greenfield Stadium after eight years?
Why has Kerala Ranji Trophy team returned to Greenfield Stadium after eight years?
Until Thursday, three other teams had played more Ranji Trophy matches at the Greenfield International Stadium than Kerala, the designated home side for this venue.
The Elite Group C match against Madhya Pradesh, which commenced on Thursday, saw Kerala draw level with Rajasthan, Services, and Uttarakhand, each having played two matches at the Greenfield.
For context, the other three teams played their two games at this stadium in 2022, when it was used as a neutral venue for the Ranji season. Kerala’s last Ranji Trophy game at this ground took place in October 2017, when the team registered a comfortable nine-wicket win against Jharkhand.
In the nearly eight-year span since then, Kerala has predominantly used the St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thumba as its home base. This despite Greenfield emerging as the most prestigious cricket stadium in the State, hosting the Indian team for two ODIs and four T20Is.
This international pedigree, however, is a key reason why the Kerala team has not set up base at the Greenfield Stadium, as explained by P. Prasanth, chairman of selectors for Kerala.
“We have had a lot of international games scheduled here [at Greenfield], which made it challenging to use this ground as our Ranji home base. Additionally, we had a good record in Thumba, which influenced our decision to continue playing there,” said Prasanth.
Nonetheless, the Kerala Cricket Association has utilised the Greenfield Stadium for domestic tournaments, including the inaugural Kerala Cricket League held last year.
The mid-season change in the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign was prompted by the BCCI’s decision to telecast/stream the sixth-round match between Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
“Because this [Greenfield] is an international venue, the broadcast facilities are much better. That isn’t the case in Thumba, where we would have needed to set up a lot of these infrastructures,” said Prasanth.
He also mentioned that the Greenfield Stadium is being considered to host Kerala’s final Ranji group-stage home game of the season against Bihar, starting on January 30.
“The venue isn’t finalised yet. At present, it is the St. Xavier’s Ground, but this could change depending on other factors,” Prasanth pointed out.
Despite this long-awaited ‘homecoming’, the first two days of the Madhya Pradesh game failed to attract much of a crowd. Only a handful of fans were scattered across the 50,000-capacity stadium as the teams battled in an evenly contested game.
