U-23 Knockouts shifted out of Delhi: A reminder of how pollution has repeatedly halted sport in the capital

Each winter, Delhi’s sports calendar is held hostage by a toxic haze that refuses to lift. (PTI Photo)

The decision to shift the U-23 one-day knockouts from Delhi to Mumbai due to dangerous air quality is not surprising anymore and that, perhaps, is the real tragedy. Each winter, Delhi’s sports calendar is held hostage by a toxic haze that refuses to lift. The capital’s athletes, schoolchildren, and professionals step into November already anticipating disruption. This latest move is just another chapter in a long, choking history.

1. 2016: Ranji Trophy Matches Abandoned Due to Smog

In one of the earliest high-profile red flags, two Ranji Trophy matches, Bengal vs Gujarat at the Kotla and Hyderabad vs Tripura at the Karnail Singh Stadium, were abandoned entirely. Players complained of burning eyes and difficulty breathing as smog engulfed the grounds. For domestic cricket, it was the first major wake-up call that Delhi’s winter air was no longer just unpleasant; it was unplayable.

2. 2017: India vs Sri Lanka Test Halted Amid Masked Players

Sri Lankan players wearing anti-pollution masks at the Kotla (AFP/File Photo)

Images of Sri Lankan players wearing anti-pollution masks at the Kotla made global headlines. Play was stopped multiple times as bowlers struggled to breathe, some reportedly vomiting on the field. Oxygen cylinders were kept ready in the dressing room, an extraordinary and deeply alarming sight for a Test match. It was the moment the world truly saw Delhi’s air crisis spill into elite sport.

3. 2018–19: Ranji Players Take the Field Wearing Masks

The problem didn’t disappear. In the 2018–19 Ranji season, players in Delhi once again resorted to wearing masks during a Group A match. The visuals were symbolic, Indian cricket normalising survival gear as part of its match kit during the capital’s winter.

4. 2023: School-Level Sports Suspended Across Delhi

State school games and zonal tournaments were abruptly suspended as air quality dipped into the “severe” category. For thousands of young athletes, competition opportunities simply vanished. GRAP-III restrictions meant the capital’s sporting ecosystem, from grounds to coaching centres, was effectively shut.

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5. 2025: Students Move Court to Stop Outdoor Sports in Peak Pollution Months

This year, a group of schoolchildren took legal action, urging the Delhi High Court to stop outdoor tournaments, trials, and coaching sessions between November and January. Their argument was simple: playing sport shouldn’t be a health risk. The court’s response and subsequent advisories underscored a growing acceptance, Delhi’s winter is no place for strenuous physical activity.

Delhi losing the U-23 knockouts is not an isolated incident. It is part of an ongoing pattern, a cycle that repeats every year with no sign of breaking. Until the capital’s air is treated as a sporting issue, not merely an environmental one, Indian sport will continue to pack its bags and move elsewhere every winter.