Dharamsala Stadium becomes first Indian ground to implement SISGrass technology

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, is the first Indian cricket ground to implement SISGrass technology. Regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket venues in world cricket, Dharamsala hopes to take the sport to a new level in the country. This modern technology aims to blend natural and artificial grass in a way which ensures maximum durability of the ground and improved safety for the players.

The Universal machine, developed by SISGrass in 2017, plays an important role in this transformation. It introduces a blend of 5% polymer fibre with natural turf, improving the durability and quality of cricket pitches. This technology has already garnered tremendous success in the United Kingdom used in almost every County ground, including iconic venues like Lord's and Edgbaston.

During the 2023 ODI World Cup, the outfield at the HPCA Stadium came under fire as there were multiple instances of fielders sliding on the ground and taking parts of the turf off the ground. The new-age grass innovation will be in use in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as Punjab Kings are set to play two of their home matches at this venue.

This technology originated in the Netherlands. Using this technology, the workload of the groundsmen will also be reduced substantially as the life of the pitches will be longer than before. The bounce on the pitches is also going to be consistent. There has been a rapid deterioration of some pitches and grounds in India because of heavy usage throughout the season.

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Where is the next stop for SISGrass technology after Dharamsala?

After the grand induction in Dharamsala, the Universal machine is set to move towards the western part of India, in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The target is to create high-quality pitches for both practice and matches.

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In modern-day cricket, especially T20 cricket, there is little time to prepare pitches as there are so many matches taking place within a very short timeframe. This technology will help in taking a giant stride towards adapting to the demands of shorter cricket formats which require quick preparation of durable playing surfaces.