Sourav Ganguly Backs BCCI’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy Call To Ditch Eden Gardens

Sourav Ganguly speaking at a CAB meeting [Source: CAB]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has released the 2026–27 home season for India, and it features the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, starting from January 21, 2027. Former India captain and BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly has now reacted to the stadium allocation for the exciting series.

Notably, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will feature Tests in Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi, and Ahmedabad, as it has ignored traditional venues like Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Opining on this exclusion of Eden Gardens, Sourav Ganguly presented his views as the current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal.

BCCI Excludes Eden Gardens From Border-Gavaskar Trophy Honour

It is interesting to note that while the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati has been awarded a Test for BGT 2026–27, Kolkata's Eden Gardens has missed out on an opportunity to host India vs Australia since 2001.

As the five-match Test series is set to be played across five different venues, it will begin in Nagpur on January 21, followed by Chennai from January 29. After an eight-day hiatus, the third Test will be presented in Guwahati from February 11, while Ranchi will host the fourth Test.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy finale will be played at Gujarat's Narendra Modi Stadium on February 27. While this absence of Eden Gardens as well as Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium has divided the internet and cricket experts, Sourav Ganguly backed the BCCI's decision on this matter.

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Sourav Ganguly Backs BCCI For Eden Gardens Abandonment

Speaking to Sportstar, Ganguly said that while it is always good to have big Test matches at Eden Gardens, stadiums like Guwahati and Nagpur should not miss out on the opportunity to host matches like this.

Ganguly quoted the South Africa Test that was held in November 2025, citing that Eden already hosted one and that there should be opportunities for other stadiums as well.

“It's always great to have big Test matches at Eden Gardens. As CAB president and a former player, I would love to host the Border-Gavaskar Trophy here, but we already had the South Africa Test, followed by T20 World Cup matches and IPL fixtures. Stadiums across India are very good, and it's important that games also go to other venues,” Sourav Ganguly said.

Slightly contrasting, former Indian cricketer Venkatapathy Raju differed from the CAB president. Speaking highly of Kolkata as a venue, Raju opposed the BCCI and Ganguly's vision.

“In our time, we had five main Test venues, Kolkata, Kanpur, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, and they had their own charm. I think they should go back to that format. Hosting T20Is and ODIs is fine, but Test cricket at these venues is special. Playing at Eden Gardens is a privilege because of the atmosphere and crowd support,” Raju added.

Nevertheless, for the unaware, BCCI usually follows a rotation policy under which every state association is allowed to host Test matches; hence, Nagpur, Chennai, Ranchi, and Ahmedabad have all received fixtures for 2027.

Does BCCI Deliberately Leave Eden Gardens Out of ‘Big Matches’?

While arguments can be made about whether the Cricket Association of Bengal or Kolkata is being sidelined by the BCCI, it actually has been left out of several high-profile series in the past.

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy not being hosted there for over two decades, many critics and cricket experts believe that the BCCI is moving marquee matches away from traditional centres like Eden Gardens to the massive Narendra Modi Stadium, which has better and larger seating capacity.

Nevertheless, whether Kolkata will host another India versus Australia match or not, the legendary charm of the venue still remains. 

Established in 1864, also known as the "Lords of the subcontinent," it remains an iconic ground that witnessed Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century and the only ODI hat-trick achieved by Kapil Dev at this venue back in 1991.

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