Bihar's Moin-ul-Haq Stadium to host three Ranji Trophy games

Bihar's Moin-ul-Haq Stadium is all set to host three games in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy. The games  will be played in October-November this year and January 2025. The venue currently serves as the home ground for Bihar's state team. 

Bihar, currently positioned at the last spot in the Elite division of Group C, will face Karnataka to kick off their home leg on October 26. The President of the Bihar Cricket Association, Rakesh Tiwari, was upbeat on being provided the opportunity to host Ranji Trophy matches at the venue.

"We are thrilled to host the Ranji Trophy matches in the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. We are excited to players play on their home ground. We are also confident that the Bihar team will put up a strong fight in the upcoming home matches," Tiwari was quoted as saying in BCA press release.

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Bihar government to sign MoU with BCCI 

The Bihar government is also set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BCCI for the venue's renovation. The decision was finalised in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Additional Chief Secretary, S. Siddharth, evaluated the future prospects of the venue after the redevelopment is concluded and also cited a ballpark for the upgradation process.

The cabinet approved the state's sports department proposal for signing of the MoU with the BCCI on Tuesday. This will transform the venue into an international stadium equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, where day-and-night matches along with other sporting activities will be organised.

"The agreement will be signed very soon and immediately after that construction work shall start, which will be completed in 36 months,"  ACS Siddharth was quoted as saying by Business Standard. "After completion of the construction, the BCCI will organise matches and other sporting activities till seven years after that period, profit will be shared with the state government on a 50-50 basis."

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Interestingly, the last international game at the Moin-ul-Haque Stadium was between Kenya and Zimbabwe in the 1996 World Cup.