Nagaland to host Syed Mushtaq Ali Plate group from Nov 14; 5 NE sides

Chumoukedima will host the Plate group of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27, the BCCI's national T20 championship for men, from November 14 to 24, the Nagaland Cricket Association (NCA) has announced.

Six teams will take part: hosts Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Services. That puts five North East sides in one venue for 15 league matches, followed by the Plate final on November 24.

Venues and opening day

Matches will be played at the Nagaland Cricket Stadium and the Sovima Cricket Ground, both in Chumoukedima district. The opening day, November 14, has Nagaland against Meghalaya at the Nagaland Cricket Stadium at 8.30 am, followed by Services against Sikkim at 1 pm at the same ground. Arunachal Pradesh meet Manipur at the Sovima Cricket Ground at 8.30 am.

League matches are scheduled for November 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. On each match day, the Nagaland Cricket Stadium will host two games (8.30 am and 1 pm) and Sovima one (8.30 am). The final starts at 8.30 am on November 24 at the Nagaland Cricket Stadium, according to the NCA release carried by Eastern Mirror and Nagaland Tribune.

A run of BCCI events for Nagaland

The NCA said the tournament follows other BCCI competitions it has hosted recently, including the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy 2025-26 and the Senior Women's T20 Trophy 2026-27, which ended recently. It said being given back-to-back events showed the board's confidence in the association and its commitment to developing cricket in Nagaland and the wider region.

The association said hosting such events gives local players, match officials and support staff exposure to senior domestic cricket and lets young cricketers watch it first-hand. It invited fans to come to the grounds and support the teams.

What is at stake

The Plate group is the lower tier of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Most of the sides in it this season are North East states that joined BCCI domestic cricket in 2018-19, with Services making up the sixth team.

For the North East sides, the tournament is one of the few chances each season to play competitive T20 cricket on home soil in front of regional crowds. NEInsider will carry results from Chumoukedima as the tournament goes on.