

CHENNAI: Ahead of the new Indian Super League season, which is set to begin from October 10, Chennaiyin FC’s first home match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium could take place anytime late in October, stadium officer P Vengatesh said on Tuesday.
“We have been told that the match might be on October 31. However, we await for the full schedule,” he told this daily.
In the truncated Indian Super League 2026 season which began on February 14, Chennaiyin FC’s first home match was only held on March 22, due to the ground not being ready to host games and the pitch not being in optimal conditions. It needs to be recalled that the stadium hosted two non-sporting events before and on day one of the ISL.
“The B ground is currently used by the club for training,” the officer added. “Work on renovating the seats is done. For the main pitch, we have applied fertilizer to bring a dark-green look,” he said.
The condition of the pitch has been one of the pain points that Chennaiyin coach Clifford Miranda had pointed out last season. Chennaiyin FC only won two out of their six home matches last season.