Sambalpur, Nov. 11: The Veer Surendra Sai Stadium in Sambalpur is all set to host a match of the Ranji trophy on November 17.

The Uttar Pradesh cricket team will meet Odisha for the four-day match here.

The stadium has already hosted 11 Ranji matches. The last Ranji match was played on this ground in 2009 between Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The stadium has also hosted two Deodhar trophy matches.

“A team from the Board of Control for Cricket in India has already reviewed the pitch and the outfield of the stadium. They have expressed satisfaction on the arrangements,” said Dulal Pradhan, general secretary of the district athletics association.

The people of Sambalpur will get an opportunity to watch their favourite cricketers live in action. “Cricketers such as Piyush Chawla, Mohemmad Kaif, Suresh Raina will play for Uttar Pradesh. Biplab Samantray, Natraj Behera and Basant Mohanty are among the ones who will play for Odisha,” said Pradhan.

“The field is conducive to both bowling and batting. This is a consistent pitch and the players will find it supportive,” said Arun Basa, a BCCI panel umpire.

The district athletics association has made all arrangements for the security of the players. The players will arrive in Sambalpur on 14th November. “We have written to the superintendent of police requesting him to provide adequate security for the players. We will also deploy private security guards,” said Pradhan.

“The budget for the match has been estimated at Rs 6 lakh rupees. The Odisha Cricket Association will sponsor the match,” Pradhan added.