Former Indian captain and Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said Test cricket must be brought to newer venues despite Kolkata missing out on marquee tournaments in India’s 2026-27 home season. Ganguly added that while Eden Gardens has immense value, the growth of the game requires it to be spread over different centres.
The discussion about the allocation of the place then gained momentum Kolkata have been left out of India’s Test schedule for the 2026–27 domestic season. Speaking on the sidelines of the book’s launch, Ganguly balanced sentiment with practicality, admitting his desire to stage big matches in Kolkata while promoting a larger vision.
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“It’s always great to have big Test matches at Eden Gardens. As CAB president and as a former player, I’d love to host Test matches here, but we got the Test against South Africa, then there were the T20 World Cup matches and the Indian Premier League matches,” Ganguly told Sportstar.
“As much as you would like to host matches at Eden, it is important to understand that it has to go to other venues,” he added.
HOW KOLKATA WAS DELETED FROM THE TEST SCHEDULE
The debate emerged after the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India unveiled India’s domestic plan for 2026-2027, which notably knocked traditional venues like Kolkata and Mumbai out of the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Instead, the five-Test series, starting on 21 January 2027, will be played in Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad, reflecting a deliberate shift towards a more geographically diverse hosting model.
While Kolkata and Mumbai will still feature in the calendar, they have only been allocated white-ball matches, including the ODI against Zimbabwe. The move has sparked debate, with traditionalists saying the iconic venues risk losing their central place in India’s Test cricket identity.
At the same time, emerging centers such as Guwahati, which hosted its first Test in 2025, continue to gain prominence, signaling the BCCI’s intention to expand the reach of the format.
For Ganguly, the decision represents a balancing act. While the Eden Gardens have historically been the cornerstone of Indian Test cricket, the evolving landscape now demands a wider distribution of matches.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
31 March 2026 14:40 IST
