Skip to content
FairPlay

Former international venue · Delhi

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

Paharganj, Delhi, Delhi. Stadium guide with history, famous matches and records.

  • Capacity 5,000
  • Opened 1954

Karnail Singh Stadium: key facts

Karnail Singh Stadium is a railway-owned multipurpose sports venue in Delhi's Paharganj area, beside New Delhi Railway Station. Built in 1954 as Paharganj Railways Stadium, it was renamed in 1978. Its international cricket record consists of one Women's ODI during the 1997 World Cup; it has also been a long-time Railways domestic venue.

Location
Paharganj, Delhi
Capacity
5,000Its listed capacity is 5,000.
Opened
1954
First international
11 December 1997Sri Lanka v West Indies, Women's ODI
Owned or run by
Indian Railways
Home teams
Railways cricket team, Railways football team, Railways women's football team
Former names
Paharganj Railways Stadium
Status
Former international venue

International matches hosted

  • 1Women's ODIs

Counts up to 6 June 2026; first international 11 December 1997, last 11 December 1997.

History of Karnail Singh Stadium

The ground was built in 1954 as Paharganj Railways Stadium through the efforts of Karnail Singh, who was then chairman of the Railway Board. The Railways Sports Promotion Board adopted the name Karnail Singh Stadium in 1978. The venue is in Basant Road's Railway Colony area of Paharganj and is owned by Indian Railways.

Cricket at the ground was closely associated with the Railways team, which used it as a Ranji Trophy home venue for about five decades. The stadium also supported athletics, football, hockey, boxing, weightlifting and kabaddi. Railways proposed a separate cricket stadium in 2007, citing overuse and facility limitations.

Karnail Singh Stadium never hosted a men's international. Its only listed international was the Sri Lanka-West Indies Women's ODI in the 1997 World Cup. The venue later faced domestic-use problems: the BCCI barred it from Ranji Trophy matches for 2012–13 after a poor pitch, and fixtures were moved again in 2022 after officials deemed a track dangerous and unfit.

Milestones

  1. 1954

    The ground was built as Paharganj Railways Stadium.

  2. 1964

    An athletics open meet at the venue included Paan Singh Tomar's national steeplechase record.

  3. 1978

    The Railways Sports Promotion Board renamed the venue Karnail Singh Stadium.

  4. 1997

    The ground hosted its only listed international, a Women's ODI in the 1997 World Cup.

  5. 2002

    The venue hosted the Ranji Trophy final in which Railways won their first title.

  6. 2022

    BCCI shifted the remaining 2022–23 Ranji Trophy fixtures after a pitch was judged dangerous and unfit for play.

Famous matches at Karnail Singh Stadium

  • 11 December 1997

    Sri Lanka v West Indies, Women's ODI

    The 1997 Women's World Cup match was the stadium's only listed international. ESPNcricinfo records the fixture as West Indies Women v Sri Lanka Women, the seventh match of the tournament.

Karnail Singh Stadium: questions and answers

When was Karnail Singh Stadium built?

It was built in 1954, originally under the name Paharganj Railways Stadium.

What is the capacity of Karnail Singh Stadium?

The reported capacity is 5,000.

Who owns Karnail Singh Stadium?

Indian Railways owns the stadium. A Northern Railway tender also records housekeeping work for the stadium.

Why is Karnail Singh Stadium no longer a regular international venue?

It hosted only one listed international, a Women's ODI in 1997, and no men's international. Later reports document facility limitations, a BCCI Ranji ban over pitch condition in 2012–13 and fixture relocation after pitch trouble in 2022, but do not give one definitive closure explanation.

More cricket stadiums in Delhi

Every ground in India that has hosted an international, with its history, capacity and pitch. See all cricket stadiums in India.

Sources for this stadium guide