In an unexpected move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to shift the Ranji Trophy quarter-final match between Haryana and Mumbai from Lahli, Haryana's home ground, to a neutral venue in Kolkata. The change has taken both teams by surprise, as Haryana had been preparing to host the match at their usual home ground, Bansi Lal Stadium, which had hosted all of their three home games this season.

The decision has also disrupted the travel plans for both teams. Mumbai, who were scheduled to arrive in Lahli on Wednesday morning, are now making arrangements to fly to Kolkata by Wednesday evening. Haryana, too, is expected to reach Kolkata late on Wednesday. Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president, Ajinkya Naik, confirmed the switch, stating, "Yes, we have received a communication from BCCI that our quarter-final against Haryana will be played at Eden Gardens."

The sudden change has raised questions, as the weather in Lahli has been clear for the past few days, and the Haryana Cricket Association was confident that they could host the match as planned. However, the BCCI has yet to provide Haryana with an official reason for the switch.

In another similar case, the quarter-final between Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala was also moved to a neutral venue, with the match now scheduled to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune. While Jammu & Kashmir had initially hoped to host the game in either Mumbai or Ahmedabad, the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) expressed concerns about the ground conditions following a harsh winter. With those venues unavailable, the BCCI decided to relocate the match to Pune.

The other two quarter-finals – Vidarbha vs Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra vs Gujarat – will be played at their respective home venues, with Vidarbha hosting Tamil Nadu at Civil Lines Stadium in Nagpur and Saurashtra hosting Gujarat at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. According to the current norms, the top teams from each group are awarded the hosting rights for the knockout matches.

Vidarbha, with a remarkable 40 points from six outright wins in seven group-stage matches, lead the points table, while Gujarat, with 32 points, are in third place behind Jammu & Kashmir, who secured 35 points.