Sourav Ganguly never won a World Cup. But he has a stand named after him at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Siliguri’s own Richa Ghosh back in town with a World Cup will now have a stadium named after her in her home town.
“Congratulations to Richa. She has become a world champion at the age of 22. We want to build a cricket stadium in her name. About 27 acres of land in Chandmani Bagan is available. It will be turned into a cricket stadium. Richa Cricket Stadium," Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said at a news conference in Siliguri.
Reacting to the development, Richa’s father thanked the chief minister, the state government, and said to the media: “A long-cherished dream is about to come true. Not only Richa, it is big for the new generation who are playing and dreaming.”
Richa’s childhood coach, Tapan Kumar Bhawal had earlier mentioned the need for an international-standard cricket stadium in Siliguri.
Currently, Siliguri depends on the Kanchenjunga Stadium — a football-first venue that occasionally hosts domestic cricket.
With this announcement, Richa becomes the second person after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after whom a stadium is named in their lifetime.
Several cricketers, from Sunil Gavaskar, M.S. Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, and Jhulan Goswami have stands named after them.
On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee had felicitated Ghosh at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The state government conferred the ‘Banga Bhushan’ on her and announced that she would be appointed as a deputy superintendent of police.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) also felicitated Ghosh on Saturday.
Former India captain and president of the CAB, Sourav Ganguly lauded Richa’s performance, calling her a potential future captain of the Indian women’s cricket team.
The CAB had presented Richa with a golden bat and ball signed by Ganguly and Jhulan Goswami. The state government presented Ghosh with a gold chain as part of the ceremony.
Richa Ghosh was one of the standout performers in India’s campaign at the 2025 Women’s World Cup.