New Delhi: The first ODI of India’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka is in doubt as a Delhi venue, after the Delhi and District Cricket Association formally asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to move the December 13 fixture out of the capital.
The request, reported on Tuesday, cites two concerns at the Arun Jaitley Stadium: the hazardous air quality that grips Delhi each winter, and ongoing renovation work at the ground. According to reports, pollution rather than renovation is the DDCA’s primary worry, with officials pointing to Delhi’s winter air quality record — the city averaged an Air Quality Index of 351 in December 2025, with similarly hazardous readings reported as recently as November 2, 2026.
The match is scheduled to open a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The other two fixtures are already locked in: Bengaluru hosts the second ODI on December 16 and Ahmedabad the third on December 19. If the BCCI accepts the DDCA’s request, it will have to find an alternative venue for the opener while preserving the rest of the itinerary, and the DDCA has also reportedly sought a compensatory home fixture.
Crucially, no move has been decided yet. As of November 3, the DDCA’s formal request remains with the BCCI for consideration, no replacement venue has been announced, and the board has neither publicly approved nor rejected the shift. That matters because the story has already been through one round of denials: on October 12, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed reports that the Delhi fixture would be shifted to Ahmedabad, saying no such decision had been taken and asking media to rely only on official BCCI communications for schedule updates.
The DDCA’s formal letter changes the position from speculation to a request the board must now answer. A decision to move the game would be a significant admission about winter cricket in the capital, where smog has repeatedly disrupted sport in December and January. Keeping it in Delhi, on the other hand, would leave players, officials and spectators facing the same air-quality questions that prompted the request in the first place.
For now, the December 13 date stands in Delhi on paper, but the venue question is genuinely open. The BCCI’s next communication — not the reports around it — will settle whether the series opener stays at the Arun Jaitley Stadium or moves elsewhere.
