Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha today said that work on Tripura’s first international cricket stadium is likely to be completed by December this year. 

He emphasized that there should be no politics when it comes to sports and that selection must be based purely on talent.

Dr. Saha was speaking after inaugurating the K.C. Girls’ School Cricket Ground and a celebrity T10 exhibition match between the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) and Bengal Tigers at Kamalpur in Dhalai district.

Calling it a “historic day” for Kamalpur, he recalled his own involvement with the stadium project while serving as TCA president. “When I visited the stadium site in 2017, construction was going on in an unplanned way. I had to put pressure on those involved to correct it. Thanks to the current TCA committee, we could finally inaugurate the ground today,” he said.

Criticizing the previous Left Front government, Dr. Saha alleged that sports, including cricket, were heavily politicized. “Talented players were denied opportunities, while others got selected due to political affiliations. Even in Ranji selections, merit was ignored. That’s why people brought a change in 2018 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

He reiterated that the current government is committed to promoting merit and transparency, not just in sports but also in job recruitment. “We are giving jobs based on merit. Meanwhile, the opposition is trying to mislead people using their party cadre,” he added.

Announcing plans to develop more sporting grounds across the state, the Chief Minister said, “Tripura has no shortage of talent, but players need proper facilities to train. Despite political hurdles during the stadium’s construction, we stayed focused. The CPIM was a master at creating problems, and we are solving them. Once completed, international players will come and play here.”