Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium – Overview
In April 2012 the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium was inaugurated and the first match was played between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors of IPL. In April 2012 the first Twenty20 International match was played at the stadium between India and England in December 2012. The first Test match at the venue was played in February 2017 between India and Australia.
MCA stadium History
The Maharashtra Cricket Association decided to build a new cricket stadium in Pune stemmed from a dispute with the Pune Municipal Corporation over ticket allocation for the Nehru Stadium. The conflict came to a head when an international match between India and Sri Lanka was moved to Kolkata, with the MCA stating that they were in no position to host the match. After this the MCA decided that a new stadium was needed in Maharashtra. On 1 April 2012 MCA Pune was inaugurated by the then ICC President and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.
In 2013, the Indian company Sahara India Pariwar bought the naming rights and the stadium was renamed as Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. However, the name was changed back to Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium as Sahara paid only half part of 200 crores which he had promised while getting the rights.
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Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium was designed by the British architecture firm Hopkins Architects. Its original completion date was November 2010, with a cost of ₹1.50 billion, covering and area of 35 acres. However, the stadium was fully ready by 2012. As a result, the stadium was originally not capable of hosting ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
The site is located near the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, outside the city of Pune, with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The stadium and the seating arrangements have been designed in such a way that an unobstructed view is ensured from every venue.
The rain water drainage system is the most important feature of this stadium. Matches are often canceled due to heavy rain. To overcome this problem, MCA opted for a sand-based outfield developed departmentally with the technical assistance of STRI Ltd., UK. Due to this technology, even during heavy rains, the water on the outfield drains quickly and makes it ready for play again within minutes.
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Features of Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium
- A main 15 wicket match ground.
- Close practice ground with nets for practice and short matches.
- Spectator seating for 37,406 divided into 4 stands.
- A member’s pavilion and a media stand.
- Additional facilities for 5,000 members including squash and badminton courts, a swimming pool, spa, restaurant and bar.
- 80 Corporate Hospitality Box.
- Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium is for youth training schemes along with state-of-the-art indoor cricket academy with residential accommodation.
- Parking for around 4,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers.
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