Bihar capital Patna is hosting a Ranji Trophy Elite Group match after a gap of 27 years, where Mumbai is playing against the home team from today, 5 January 2024. However, cricket fans in Bihar are having to enjoy the game by putting their lives in danger, because the venue of the match, Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium, has actually turned into ruins.
Shocking photos and videos of the stadium located in Rajendra Nagar have gone viral on social media, which show that the galleries are in a completely pathetic condition. There are wild plants all over the galleries, and the only thing the administration has done is put up signages asking spectators not to sit in the galleries.
A video of the stadium taken yesterday posted on Instagram, showed wild plants growing everywhere on the galleries, and clothes being dried on railings. Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium is the home ground of the Bihar Ranji team.
The video shows that the galleries have not been cleaned a day before the match. Even though a major domestic team like Mumbai was playing at the stadium, it seems no efforts were made to improve the condition of the stadium in the middle of Patna. Several international players are playing in the match.
Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna once hosted international matches, once upon a time it was so good that it was one of the few venues chosen to host World Cup matches in 1996, but now it does not even look like fit for gully cricket. Now it is in such a dilapidated condition that watching the sport from galleries has become a dangerous adventure for spectators.
Signages saying ‘entry to gallery is prohibited, there is danger’ were put up all around the stadium, and several gates were kept locked, to prevent people from entering the danger zones. If anyone enters the galleries, they will be risking their own lives. Moreover, by putting up the warnings, the administration has ensured that they will not be responsible for any mishap.
ESPN presenter Syed Hussain also showed the stadium, saying that it is in ruins. He said that despite the conditions, people arrived in large numbers to witness the contest. He also showed the no entry notices put up in the stadium.
Sorry to say but really disheartened to see this pathetic scene of historical Moin-ul-Haque stadium Patna. 🥲@yadavtejashwi bhai please do something and save this 🙏@BCCI @BCCIdomestic @NitishKumar #BIHvMUM #RanjiTrophy #Patna pic.twitter.com/xrk59tKh5P
— Syed Hussain (@imsyedhussain) January 5, 2024
‘Apart from the ruins of the galleries, other arrangements for the important match were not satisfactory. People who arrived to watch the match could not follow the scores, as only a small scoreboard has been installed in the entire stadium. The spectators vented their anger towards the Bihar government for the condition of the stadium.
Going by the visuals, it seemed that the only structure that is not in a dilapidated condition is the pavilion.
A look at the stadium’s satellite photos on Google Earth shows that it has been gradually deteriorating over the years. Its galleries were mostly fine in the image from 2010, but in the 2023 satellite image, most of the galleries and parts of the ground are covered by vegetation.
In the match that started today, Bihar captain Ashutosh Aman opted to bowl after winning the toss. The host team did a good job and restricted Mumbai to 235 runs in 67 overs by taking 9 wickets. The Mumbai team’s captain is former Team India player Ajinkya Rahane.
Bihar is playing in the Elite group of Ranji Trophy after the split of Jharkhand from the state. 12 years and 284 days old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who played for the Bihar team, has become the fourth-youngest Indian to make his debut in a recorded first-class match.
Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium is owned by the Bihar government, and in response to a PIL asking for better maintenance of stadiums in the state, the govt told the Patna High Court in July 2023 that it is unable to spend money to improve it. The state govt had further said that the stadium was being leased to Bihar Cricket Association (BCA). Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium is a multi-purpose ground, used for cricket and football.
The stadium was previously known as Rajendra Nagar Stadium. It was renamed in 1970 after the death of Moin-ul-Haq, who was general secretary of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
After the 1996 world cup match between Kenya and Zimbabwe, BCCI didn’t allot any international match to the stadium. Bihar govt and the state cricket association also neglected it, and therefore the once state-of-the-art stadium deteriorated sharply.
