Sikkim is now one of the locations where the state cricket association, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), and the regional government have collaborated to improve the playing conditions. Sikkim made a significant sporting milestone on Sunday, May 18, when it installed cutting-edge LED floodlights to improve the standing of the Sikkim Cricket Ground in Mining, Rangpo. Prem Singh Tamang, the state’s honourable chief minister (CM), officially opened the sparkling lights.
In recent years, there has been an increase in cricket facilities in northeast India. Even though the rest of the country has top-notch facilities, the area has yet to host international cricket of any kind. Some progress has been achieved in the state of Tripura, with the exception of Guwahati in Assam; other states have fallen behind in terms of the general infrastructure required to hold matches.
Due to this recent improvement, the venue is now prepared to host cricket matches both during the day and at night, and the games will be televised in high definition. The Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA) was in charge of overseeing the project, which had a noteworthy cost of INR 12.2 crore and was entirely sponsored by the Sikkim government. The project was finished on April 18, 2025, having started in December of last year.
Each of the four towers that make up the floodlight system is 44 meters high. There are 64 LED lights on each mast, for a total of 256 lights installed. Because each light has a 1.2 kW capacity, the system is remarkably energy-efficient while yet producing a spectacular 2800 lux illumination of the pitch. Additionally, it was discovered that the lighting system’s quality much surpasses the international level needed for cricket broadcasts.
The president of SICA makes a suggestion about hosting IPL games.
Speaking at the event, SICA President Tika Subba conveyed her sincere appreciation to the state government and BCCI for working together to make this dream a reality. Due to poor visibility, Subba also discussed the difficulties of holding games beyond 3:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) in the winter. He made a suggestion that discussions on hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the future were in progress with the Indian board.
In addition to SICA representatives, state cabinet ministers, the Chief Administrator/Council Secretary, Justice Biswanath Somadder, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Sikkim, and other high-ranking officials attended the inauguration.
OpIndia cited Subba as saying, “Today we are able to install this historic floodlight, thanks to the government, with the help of the government as well as the BCCI.”
Sikkim gets its Fud Light Cricket Stadium.
This is my CM sir
My CM My State Pride 🙏🏻@OmMathur_Raj @JayShah @PSTamangGolay pic.twitter.com/6Z3for8XmD
— Nirmal Agarwal (@nirmal_aga) May 19, 2025
PM Modi will travel to Sikkim at the end of May.
In addition to sharing his thoughts on the historic event, Honourable Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang revealed that the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, is anticipated to visit Sikkim by the end of this month. He said that although the exact date has not yet been set, the Sikkim government has got confirmation from the relevant authorities.
“PM Modi’s visit has been confirmed to the Sikkim government. There have been multiple meetings. The tentative date is May 29, but it hasn’t been finalised yet,” Tamang disclosed.
To commemorate Sikkim’s momentous day, SICA staged a Twenty20 competition.
The Chief Secretary’s (CS) squad and the SICA President XI played a Twenty20 cricket match to commemorate the event. The CS team, batting first, lost nine wickets in 20 overs but managed to reach 121 runs. In response, Team SICA fought hard and lost five wickets as they chased down the target in the final over of the game with two balls remaining.
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