The renovation of the outfield at the Arun Jaitley Stadium has resulted in the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka on December 13 being moved from Delhi to the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
“The venue change has been made following a request from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), in view of the potential weather disruption and the proposed renovation work at the stadium,” a BCCI release stated on Thursday (November 5, 2026) evening.
It had been reported by The Hindu on September 22 that the DDCA was planning to switch to a sand-based outfield at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground. With work on it having begun in the last week of October, the outfield is currently dug up. The DDCA is expecting the venue to be ready in time for next year’s IPL.
If not for the renovation, a major issue with hosting the game in the national capital would have been the poor air quality in the month of December. In December 2017, Sri Lanka’s players had to put on masks as they struggled with the smog during a Test against India here.
Sri Lanka will play a total of three ODIs and as many T20Is on the tour of India. While Bengaluru and Ahmedabad will stage the second and third ODIs, the T20I series will be held in Rajkot, Cuttack and Pune.
Published – November 05, 2026 07:34 pm IST
