Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association to launch fifth stadium of the state

Adding to their series of stadiums, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) announced on Wednesday to add one more feather to its cap. Located at an altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level, the new stadium at Gumma in Shimla district will be the fifth in the state. The arena will be inaugurated on June 1 by former BCCI president Anurag Thakur.

HPCA also has to their credit, the sumptuous and magnificent Dharamshala stadium, which is also the second home ground of IPL side, Kings XI Punjab. The big-budget stadium first figured on the world cricketing map when it hosted a warm-up fixture between Pakistan and the Board President’s XI in 2005. The Dharamsala stadium is located at an altitude of 4,000 ft above sea level and is the first in India to use winter rye grass scattered around the outfield. This prevents the grass from dying when temperatures fall below 10 degrees Celsius.

Features of the new stadium

The stadium includes facilities like a pavilion, dressing rooms, four turf wickets and has been constructed with an outlay of Rs.3 crore. The stadium’s outfield is encompassed with class 1 Bermuda grass to give the players international standards.

HPCA press secretary Mohit Sood told IANS, “We have already built good stadiums and infrastructure in other districts of the state and would work steadily on our commitment towards one world-class stadium in each district.”

Established in 1960, HPCA was granted first-class cricket status in September 1984. Anurag Thakur took charge of the HPCA in 2000, becoming the association’s fourth president. However, he was removed from the post after he became the BCCI president in 2016.

HPCA has also constructed the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, formerly known as the Amtar ground, in Hamirpur district as well as the Luhnu cricket ground, in the backwaters of the Bhakra Dam.