Sambalpur, Jan. 2: The Veer Surendra Sai Stadium is allset to host a Ranjitrophy match, in which the Odisha cricketteam will take on Vidarbha in the four-daytie beginning from January 5.

TheOdisha Cricket Association is sponsoring the match and will spend Rs 15 lakh for the purpose. The visitors will not be charged any entry fee.

The Sambalpur stadium had hosted 14 Ranji matches in the past. The last match that was played on the ground was in 2013 between Odisha and Delhi. The stadium has also hosted two Deodhar Trophy matches.

'The preparation for the match has reached its final stage.A team of the Board ofControl for Cricket in India (BCCI) had visited the city to review the pitch and the outfield of thestadium. They expressed satisfaction over the arrangements,' saidDulal Chandra Pradhan, vice-president of the Odisha Cricket Association.

'The Vidarbha players arrived in the city last evening, while the home team reached here today. We have requested the district policeto provide adequate security to the players. We have also decided to deployprivate security guards,' said Pradhan.

'The pitch will be favourablefor both bowlers and batsmen. The players will definitely find itsupportive. We expect a large number of cricketlovers to throng the stadium to watch the year's first Ranji match,' he said.

The stadium has six galleries and can accommodatearound 20,000 people.

With the recent outbreak of jaundice, the district athletic association has decided to make adequate arrangements to supply safe drinking water to the viewers. 'Provisions have been made to supply boiled water for drinking purpose at the stadium. We have requested several organisations to help us in this regard,' said a member of the district athletic association.

Residents are excited about the outcome of this high-profile cricket match.'I am really excited. I had watched theRanjimatch betweenDelhi and Odisha in 2013,' said Dipesh Sahu, a cricket lover.