Gwalior International Cricket Stadium expected to be game-fit by January

Cricket expands from the City of Holkars to the City of Scindias as Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) builds new cricket stadium in Gwalior. In a recent development, pictures of an under-construction cricket facility in the city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, went viral on social media. As per the latest available reports, the new international cricket stadium is expected to be ready by 2024. The stadium is being built and will be owned and operated by the MPCA making it the second international venue in the state.

Located off the AB Road (Agra-Mumbai National Highway) near Shankarpur Village, the facility will have six floodlights and eight gates, including the ones for media and press, cricketers, and MPCA members & staff. The seating capacity of the stadium is expected to be between 30,000-45,000 once the construction is completed. A Ranji Trophy game between MP and Odisha will be held at the ground between January 12 to January 15, 2024, which will be a good test before the ground becomes fully ready for international action.

Earlier, the city of Gwalior hosted several cricket matches at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, approximately 12 kilometres off the newer one. The last match held at the venue was held between India and South Africa back in 2010. The match made its name in the history of cricketing books, as Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score a double hundred, reaching the iconic landmark in just 147 balls.

But after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it mandatory for state associations to operate a stadium, the Roop Singh Stadium, which was turned into a cricket field in the 1980s originally being a hockey arena, became ineligible to host any further international fixtures. The new stadium will, thus, become only the second international stadium in the state.

Notably, MPCA owns the Holkar Stadium in Indore, which is the only recognised stadium in MP currently. Thus, to host more matches, private colleges and grounds such as the ones in Daly International School and College Cricket Ground, Emerald High School Cricket Ground, Yeshwant Club Ground, and Nehru Stadium, Central Gymkhana Ground, all located in Indore, hosted domestic fixtures for tournaments like Syed Mushtaq Ali (SMAT) and Ranji Trophy matches. Cities like Ratlam, Ujjain, Mhow, and Bhopal in MP have also hosted matches previously.

The new stadium in Gwalior will boost the cricketing infrastructure in the nation, while also empowering the domestic facilities in Madhya Pradesh, allowing the state association to host multiple matches taking the toll off Holkar, located at Janjeerwala Square, New Palasia.