The shooting of Sourav Ganguly’s upcoming biopic Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story has become part of an unusual controversy involving English county cricket. Leicestershire are facing a significant points deduction after the pitch at their home ground, Grace Road, was deemed below the required standard following their County Championship match against Glamorgan.
Leicestershire were docked 27 points after the England and Wales Cricket Board’s regulator reviewed the pitch used for the August 20 match. The team had defeated Glamorgan in that game, but the match referee reportedly recorded 43 instances of uneven bounce caused by cracks on the playing surface.
As a result, the 19 points Leicestershire earned from the victory were removed, along with an additional eight-point penalty. The deduction has left the club with 89 points and placed them at the bottom of the 10-team Division One table. The bottom two teams at the end of the season will be relegated to Division Two.
Leicestershire have until September 29 to appeal the decision and have four matches remaining in their campaign.
The controversy has an unexpected Bollywood connection. Grace Road was used as a filming location for Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, with Rajkummar Rao portraying the former India captain. The film shoot reportedly took place just four days before Leicestershire’s match against Glamorgan.
Leicestershire head groundsman Callum Lewin cited the filming as one of several circumstances that affected his ability to prepare and protect the pitch. He also pointed to extreme weather conditions, with temperatures reaching around 35°C.
According to Lewin, the filming meant he was unable to carry out some of the usual work on the pitch or cover it during the event. He said the ground had been exposed to intense heat for several hours, and despite heavy watering, moisture levels remained below the expected range.
However, the ECB regulator did not accept the circumstances as sufficient justification for the condition of the pitch. The regulator said the risks associated with the filming should have been anticipated and that measures should have been put in place to protect the playing surface.
The incident has drawn attention because the cricket ground was simultaneously being used for a major film production and professional cricket. While the film shoot was only one of the circumstances cited by the groundsman, the pitch condition ultimately resulted in a substantial points deduction for Leicestershire.
Meanwhile, production on the Ganguly biopic is continuing. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Luv Films, Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story will follow the former cricketer’s journey from his early years in cricket to his career as one of India’s prominent captains.
Rajkummar Rao plays Ganguly in the film, which also focuses on his rise as an attacking batter and his leadership career. Ganguly scored more than 18,000 runs across international formats and remains one of India’s notable white-ball cricketers.
The film is scheduled to release on May 14, 2027. For now, however, its connection with the Grace Road pitch controversy has given the upcoming sports drama an unexpected link with English county cricket.
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