Brabourne Stadium

Lore & Background

The CCI was incorporated on 8 November 1933. The stadium was built on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station. The foundation stone was laid by Lord Brabourne on 22 May 1936, and the ground was opened on 7 December 1937 by Roger Lumley. The first match was played in October 1937 between the CCI and the Spencer Cup XI. The North Stand housed the BCCI headquarters and the 1983 Cricket World Cup trophy until 2006, when both were moved to the Cricket Centre at Wankhede Stadium.

Reader's Guide

The stadium has a pavilion and three public stands: West Stand, North Stand, and East Stand. The pavilion is a three-story art deco nautical structure with rounded pediments, flagpoles, and port-hole windows. It has dark wood wall panelling and decorative marble floors. The ground hosted Test matches from 1948 to 1972, and international cricket returned in the 21st century, including the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006, the first Twenty20 International in India in 2007, and a Test match in December 2009 after 36 years. It was the home of Mumbai Indians and hosted matches of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2013.

Did You Know?

• The Brabourne Stadium was India's first permanent sporting venue.
• Australian cricketer Keith Miller called the ground 'the most complete ground in the world'.
• The ground was named after Lord Brabourne at the suggestion of the Maharaja of Patiala.