Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to join MCA's venue list

The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), in a recent move, has signed an understanding with the Municipal Corporation of Aurangabad to develop an international cricket arena in the city of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Notably, the stadium will be built by re-developing the existing Garware Stadium, located on the outskirts of Cidco City in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Chikhalthana region.

The new facelifting of the Garware Stadium will give international status to the ground at an estimated building cost of INR 265 crore. The administrator of the Municipal Corporation, Mr G. Srikanth, decided to develop an international cricketing facility in the historic city of the Marathwada region. After all the formalities were approved, a total of 27 acres of land was granted to MCA in the aforesaid region from MIDC and the tourism department.

The state association has appointed Mr Ajay Thakur as the head of the Project Management Committee. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has also been created to develop the venue. Post completion, it will become the fourth international stadium in Maharashtra after Wankhede (Mumbai), MCA (Pune), and VCA Stadium (Nagpur).

Currently, MCA owns and operates the MCA Stadium in Pune, and also has indirect control over 21 district cricket associations across regions like Khandesh, Western Maharashtra, and Marathwada regions. Thus, the newly proposed stadium in Chh. Sambhajinagar will only be the second venue built with an intention of hosting international matches in future. 

Presently, Chh Sambhajinagar has five more grounds of which, the Aurangabad District Cricket Association Ground has hosted a women’s international fixture between India and New Zealand back in 2003. The Marathwada University Ground, on the other hand, has hosted several domestic matches. Sachin Tendulkar, the God of Cricket, has also played a Ranji Trophy game at this venue, where he scored a brilliant fifty before making his international debut.

MPCA completes international cricket stadium in Gwalior

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association has also built a new cricket facility in Gwalior - the MPCA Ground. The first domestic game will be played at the proposed international venue in January 2024 with a Ranji Trophy game between MP and Odisha, making it only the second venue in the state after Holkar Stadium, Indore.