The Delhi Capitals (DC) have once again shifted their initial home matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season to Visakhapatnam (more commonly referred to as Vizag), creating intrigue among their fans. Due to facing the Lucknow Super Giants on March 24 and the Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 30, both of these games will be hosted at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA cricket stadium. DC's decision marks the second consecutive year that Vizag has acted as their secondary home ground, but what sparked this move?

Also Read: Dhoni on Modern Cricket: Adapting to a New Era of Risk and Innovation

The latter has previously acted as a secondary home ground for the Delhi Capitals, most famously in the 2024 season. With commanding followings of cricket and the newly renovated facilities within the stadium, the city is well equipped to host such big-ticket matches.

Delhi Capitals have chosen to play their first two games at Vizag. @LucknowIPL is their opponent in Vizag.
Delhi crowd won’t get to see Rishabh Pant on his home turf.
And @DelhiCapitals will never know if their brand is as stronger without Pant.

— Arani Basu (@AraniBasuTOI) February 16, 2025

Also Read: Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow Super Giants (DC vs LSG): Match 4, IPL 2025, Match Preview

This move also proves that the Delhi Capitals are widening their fan base as well as fulfilling the vision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is to globalize the sport of cricket. Thus, by instituting Visakhapatnam as the host city for their opening home matches, DC seeks to benefit from the cricketing enthusiasm while providing the best conditions on matchdays to the players and fans.

The moving of the home matches of the Delhi Capitals to Visakhapatnam during the IPL 2025 season is aimed at expanding the league's popularity and offering quality cricket entertainment to the fans in Andhra Pradesh. The thorough renovation of the stadium shows good faith in the region’s future matches and sets the bar high for allowing a world-class experience.