The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that the Arun Jaitley Stadium would not be able to stage Delhi’s home games in the first phase of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season. The venue, which hosted three T20Is between India and Afghanistan last week, is set to undergo a renovation, with the DDCA looking to install a state-of-the-art drainage system.

Delhi has two home matches, against Gujarat (October 18-21) and Services (November 2-5), in the first four rounds of the Ranji Trophy. These games will be held at the Air Force Station Complex in Palam, which is the home base of Services. The First Class competition will pause in November for the white-ball events before resuming in January. Delhi has another home game against Maharashtra in the second phase, scheduled from February 1 to 4.

The stadium, in the heart of the national capital, is also slated to host an ODI between India and Sri Lanka on December 13.

“The plan is to switch to a sand-based outfield. Our drainage system is lagging behind many grounds in the country. As and when the work begins, it will take four to five months,” said a DDCA official.

Delhi’s opening fixture of the Ranji campaign is against Bengal at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani from October 11 to 14.

After a decade of playing for Himachal Pradesh, Mayank Dagar wants to make a mark for Delhi — his city of birth — in the upcoming domestic season.

The left-arm spinner, who represented India in the 2016 U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, obtained a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the concerned parties in January, paving the way for a switch ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The 29-year-old will kick off the new season by making a maiden appearance in the Delhi Premier League. The tweaker, who has claimed 137 wickets in 51 First Class matches, will turn out for North Delhi Strikers in the third edition of the T20 competition.

For the experienced operator, the change is to find a route back into the Indian Premier League. He played three games for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023 and five for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the following season, but hasn’t featured since.

“I have played for Himachal for a long time and I’ve done well as well. I was just looking for opportunities to get back into the IPL circuit. If I perform well on a platform like the DPL, somebody or the other will notice me. That is my hope,” Dagar told The Hindu.

His presence in the DPL — he has represented Himachal right from the age-group level — may not have pleased some members of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) at the time of the auction earlier this month. Asked about the ‘outsider’ tag, Dagar, whose uncle is former India and Delhi opener Virender Sehwag, asserted that he belongs here.

“My entire family is from Delhi. I’ve come to Delhi because I wanted a change in my career. My job is to work hard and try to win matches if I get to represent Delhi,” Dagar said.

Ayush Badoni has had five seasons with Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. Over the past 12 months, he has also featured regularly for India-A across formats. The opportunities are a reflection of his potential as a hard-hitting middle-order batter and a part-time off-spinner, but it hasn’t yet translated into match-defining performances.

The 26-year-old from Delhi admits he was subpar in the most recent IPL. Despite getting to bat higher up the order, his returns were a meagre 215 runs in 10 matches at an average of 21.5. It was followed by three outings for India-A in a 50-over tri-series involving Sri Lanka-A and Afghanistan-A in June, where his scores read 24, 0 and 15.

“Definitely, I feel I can perform better. The best is yet to come,” Badoni, who will lead South Delhi Superstarz in the third edition of the Delhi Premier League from Friday, told reporters at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.

Badoni’s floundering form during IPL 2026 was compounded by LSG’s wooden-spoon finish. “It is challenging to be consistent as a player when the team is losing matches. The motivation goes down. Next year, we will hope to make amends,” he said.

Badoni remains determined to turn things around, for he knows that the national selectors are taking note of his contributions. “Playing for India-A gives you exposure and boosts your confidence. The selectors have told me to focus on my consistency as much as possible and to keep working on my bowling,” informed Badoni.