#smsstadium

Ahead of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has decided to host three of its four home matches at Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre in Nathdwara instead of the traditional Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Stadium in Jaipur. The move is driven by soaring usage fees at SMS, logistical benefits, and superior facilities at Nathdwara, which includes multiple practice pitches and upgraded infrastructure. Only the marquee match against Mumbai will still be held at SMS.

Why Nathdwara? The Shift Explained

This change isn’t just about venue variety—there are financial and infrastructural reasons behind it. The RCA’s ad hoc committee cited high usage fees imposed by the RSSC (Rajasthan State Sports Council) for SMS and its associated grounds, including the RCA Academy. Nathdwara’s Miraj Sports Centre is owned by a private/partner entity and offers features that made it an attractive alternative: ten practice pitches of varied nature, good player amenities, and spectator facilities. It passes muster in terms of infrastructure required to host first-class cricket, including media boxes and VVIP areas.

The Schedule: Matches Moving & What Remains at SMS

Here is how the home schedule looks for Rajasthan in Elite Group D of Ranji Trophy 2025-26:

Oct 15 – Rajasthan vs Chhattisgarh at Nathdwara

Nov 16-19 – Rajasthan vs Delhi at Nathdwara

Jan 22-25 – Rajasthan vs Himachal Pradesh at Nathdwara

The match against Mumbai remains at SMS Stadium in Jaipur

So three out of four home games are shifting to Nathdwara. This makes Nathdwara the new de facto central venue for most home fixtures for Rajasthan.

Infrastructure & Facilities: What Nathdwara Offers

The Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre (MPMSC) in Nathdwara is more than just cheaper. It comes with multiple practice pitches—ten in total—which help teams warm up and adjust to local pitch behaviors. Pavilion, media, and spectator infrastructure have been inspected and approved by RCA’s committee. The area behind the stadium has VVIP zones, galleries, and amenities that can rival those in Jaipur, according to officials. Previously, the SMS setup stretched usage of these facilities especially around practice grounds, which added to wear and costs.

Financial Pressure & Access Issues at SMS

Key to the decision are cost pressures. RCA owes some dues to RSSC and has reportedly been paying steep fees for usage of SMS stadium and academy ground. The concern is that maintaining high overheads at SMS is not financially sustainable for all fixtures—especially when more modest crowds are expected for non-marquee games. Also, scheduling at SMS is crowded due to IPL, T20 tournaments, academy use, and other events, which adds logistical complexity and maintenance burdens.

Supporting the Move: RCA’s Perspective

RCA’s ad hoc panel (led by convenor DD Kumawat) visited Nathdwara to inspect suitability. Committee members Pinkesh Porwal and Mohit Yadav joined them. The assessment covered pitch quality, pavilion, media box, spectator gallery, practice facilities. The general verdict: Nathdwara meets the standards. RCA also acknowledged that SMS remains important but that for many matches the extra cost doesn’t justify staying there. RCA is also working on stadium development in Jodhpur and Chonp to expand the pool of viable venues.

Challenges & Considerations

Moving venues isn’t purely positive. Some challenges include:

Travel & Accommodation: Players, officials, and support staff will need to adjust for travel to Nathdwara. While closer for some, farther for others, accommodations may need to be scaled up locally.

Home Crowd Impact: Jaipur has been a strong base with big crowds, especially for marquee matches. Moving to Nathdwara could see lower attendance for some matches, impacting revenues and home advantage.

Pitch Behavior & Familiarity: Teams are accustomed to SMS pitch behavior. Nathdwara’s pitch might play differently, giving an advantage to visiting teams if Rajasthan has less experience on it. Practice time helps, but it's still a shift.

Weather & Infrastructure Risks: Nathdwara is developing infrastructure, so weather, lighting, or minor facility glitches could affect match conditions. Maintaining expectations for broadcast, amenities, and media coverage will be critical.

Broader Context: Growth of Venues & Domestic Cricket Strategy

This move reflects a broader strategy in Indian domestic cricket: diversifying venues, developing more stadiums outside main metros, and reducing dependency on costly central grounds. It also helps with exposure—smaller towns like Nathdwara get higher-level cricket, which helps cricket growth locally. RCA’s action aligns with this trend. Also, fewer matches at SMS frees it up for IPL, T20s, academy work, and reduces strain on its facilities.

Players & Team Prep: How Rajasthan Plans to Make the Shift Smooth

To ensure players are comfortable, Rajasthan has begun practice matches in Nathdwara. For instance, two four-day matches against Punjab are scheduled at Nathdwara ahead of Ranji fixtures. These provide time to adjust to local conditions. The squad, led by captain Mahipal Lomror, will need to adapt game plans according to the surface and local conditions. Also, logistics (practice, net sessions, pitch reading) are being emphasized to minimize surprises.

What This Means for Ranji Trophy & Domestic Fans

For cricket fans in Rajasthan, this is momentous. Nathdwara hosting high-profile Ranji matches gives fans in that region access they may not have had before. For those in Jaipur, some matches will still come to SMS, but the shift may dilute home-town feel for some games. From a domestic competition perspective, it raises questions about revenue sharing, ticket pricing, broadcast availability, and how fan culture adapts to shifting venues.

Watching for What’s Next

Some things to keep an eye on going forward:

How Nathdwara handles match logistics: pitch quality, drainage, lighting, spectator comfort.

Whether attendance numbers differ significantly between Nathdwara fixtures and the match at SMS.

Financial outcomes: did RCA save money? Did revenues (tickets, local sponsorship, media) change?

Whether other state associations follow suit—looking for cheaper, well-equipped alternatives to expensive stadiums.

How this affects player performance, selection, and morale given different conditions.

Venue changes for big domestic matches are more than just logistical tweaks—they reflect evolving priorities in sports management: sustainability, cost management, facility standards, and growing cricket’s footprint beyond traditional strongholds. For Rajasthan, Nathdwara now plays a much larger role in the state’s cricket future, with both promise and pressure riding on how well the shift is executed.