The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), the state cricket organisation, and the regional administration have joined forces to improve the playing conditions in Sikkim, according to the most recent development. Modern LED floodlights were installed at the Sikkim Cricket Ground in Mining, Rangpo, on Sunday, May 18, marking a significant milestone in the state’s athletic history. The state’s honourable chief minister (CM), Prem Singh Tamang, officially opened the sparkling lights.
Over the past few years, cricket facilities have increased in northeastern India. The region has yet to host international cricket of any kind, despite the rest of the country having top-notch facilities. With the exception of Guwahati in Assam, the state of Tripura has made some strides in developing the general infrastructure required to hold games; other states have fallen behind.
This new construction has made the stadium well-equipped to handle cricket matches both during the day and at night, and it also allows for high-definition streaming of the events. Interestingly, the Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA) oversaw the project, which had a total cost of INR 12.2 crore and was entirely financed by the Sikkim government. December of last year marked the start of the project, which was finished on April 18, 2025.
The four towers that make up the lighting system are each forty-four meters high. There are 256 lights installed overall, with 64 LED lights powering each pole. The system is remarkably energy-efficient, with each light having a 1.2 kW capacity and producing a beautiful 2800 lux illumination of the pitch. The lighting system’s quality was also found to be well above the international standard needed for cricket broadcasts.
Hints from the SICA President about hosting IPL matches
SICA President Tika Subba spoke at the event and conveyed her sincere gratitude to the state government and BCCI for working together to make this dream a reality. Subba also discussed the difficulties of holding games in the winter after 3:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) because of poor visibility. He made a suggestion that discussions were in progress with the Indian board about the potential for hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the future.
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 were present for the inauguration in addition to SICA representatives.
“Today we are able to install this historic floodlight, thanks to the government, with the help of the government as well as the BCCI,” OpIndia cited Subba as adding.
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.
The Honourable Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also expressed his thoughts on the momentous event and affirmed that Shri Narendra Modi, the Honourable Prime Minister of India, 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.
India
