Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium

Did You Know?

• The stadium was in contention to host matches of the 2011 ICC World Cup but could not due to construction delays.
• The city of Pune previously hosted World Cup matches in 1987 (Sri Lanka vs England) and 1996 (Kenya vs West Indies) at the Nehru Stadium in Swargate.
• The stadium hosted five matches of the 2023 ICC World Cup, including the India–Bangladesh game on 19 October.

History

The Maharashtra Cricket Association decided to build a new stadium after a dispute with the Pune Municipal Corporation over ticket allocations for Nehru Stadium, which escalated when an India–Sri Lanka match was moved to Kolkata. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 21 October 2007, performed by BCCI president Sharad Pawar. Construction began on 14 November 2007, and the contract for the first phase was awarded to Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd in November 2009.

The stadium was designed by British architect Sir Michael Hopkins, who also designed Lord's mount stand and the Ages Bowl stadium in Southampton. The original deadline was November 2010, with a cost of ₹1.50 billion, covering 35 acres. Construction faced various problems between 2010 and 2012, with completion in December 2011. As of September 2023, the final phase remained unfinished, with 75% of stands lacking roofs.

The stadium's seating arrangement ensures an unobstructed view from every location. A key feature is its rainwater drainage system: a sand-based outfield, developed with technical assistance from STRI Limited, UK, allows water to drain quickly during heavy showers. Zeolite supplied by G M Chemicals is used for turf management.

Controversy

In 2017, India Today conducted a sting operation that exposed the stadium's official pitch curator, Salgaonkar, for alleged malpractice before an India vs New Zealand ODI. The network claimed Salgaonkar shared information about the wicket with an undercover reporter posing as a bookmaker, allowed the reporter to walk on and stamp the pitch, and offered to doctor it as demanded. The Maharashtra Cricket Association sacked Salgaonkar, and cricket.com.au reported that showing the batting pitch to outsiders breached ICC rules.

Match referee Chris Broad inspected the pitch, and the second ODI proceeded as scheduled. Salgaonkar was suspended for six months by the BCCI and ICC, after which he returned to his curator role at the MCA. In 2017, the pitch used for the first Test of the India vs Australia series was rated poor by match referee Chris Broad. In 2018, the Bombay High Court restricted the MCA from using Pavana river water for stadium maintenance, responding to a public interest litigation filed by the NGO Loksatta movement.

The court noted that the state government had allowed the MCA to draw water for industrial purposes for six years, despite the MCA not running an industry, and deemed the permission illegal.

Domestic cricket

The stadium has hosted domestic tournaments including the Ranji Trophy, IPL, and Women's T20 Challenge. Its first first-class match was in December 2011, when Himachal Pradesh played Maharashtra in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy. In January 2016, it hosted the Ranji Trophy final, and in 2017-18 it hosted the first semifinal between Delhi and Bengal, which Delhi won by an innings and 26 runs. The venue served as the home ground for the IPL franchise Sahara Pune Warriors after its inauguration, and later for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016-17. It was also allocated as the home ground of Chennai Super Kings during one IPL season. In 2022, the entire IPL edition was held in Maharashtra, and the MCA stadium hosted a significant number of those games. In 2023, it hosted the inaugural season of the Maharashtra Premier League, a six-team tournament organized by the Maharashtra Cricket Association.

Features

The main ground has 15 wickets and a Bermuda-grass surface with pop-up sprinklers. The underground drainage system consists of three layers: a gravel drainage layer, a blinding layer of washed grit-sand, and a rootzone layer of silica sand, zeolite, and cocopeat. Adjacent to the main ground is a practice ground with nets. The stadium has about 45,000 seats, a members' pavilion, a media stand, and additional facilities for 5,000 members including squash and badminton courts, a swimming pool, spa, restaurants, and bars. There are 80 corporate hospitality boxes, a state-of-the-art indoor cricket academy with residential accommodation, and parking for about 3,500 cars and 12,000 two-wheelers.