BCCI finally gets hold of land for new National Cricket Academy

Following a long-standing issue with the Karnataka Government, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally got hold of land for a new National Cricket Academy (NCA). The BCCI has obtained land in Bengaluru and proposes to build a revamped NCA. Interestingly, this will be the first instance when the board has its own property for cricketing purposes.

The piece of land that has been earmarked for a new NCA is close to the Kempegowda International airport in Devanahalli. CK Khanna, who is currently BCCI’s acting president, confirmed that construction work would begin as soon as the board is given an extra 25 acres of land. According to him, the academy would be up and be running in two years from now.

Existing NCA a ‘rehab centre’

It’s been over two years since the BCCI has been looking for an alternate place to build the new academy. The board was also looking to equip the academy with world class facilities. However, the current NCA, which is adjacent to the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, has come under the scanner over the last few years.

The facilities have been criticised as having turned into just a ‘rehab centre’.”The BCCI didn’t want to depend on any other association. It gets very difficult to sustain the facility as the control lies with the local association. Having its own property will allow the board to run the academy smoothly,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.

While Anurag Thakur was the BCCI president, the board was reported to have considered places like Pune and Dharamsala as options as well. However, after the standoff continued for a few years, there’s hope for the board now as Bangalore is set to get its second National Cricket Academy.

The NCA was initially the brainchild of cricket administrator and former BCCI President Raj Singh Dungarpur. The academy was established in 2000 for training young cricketers who were identified to have the potential to represent the Indian cricket team.