BCCI prefers Bengaluru for setting up revamped National Cricket Academy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to set up the revamped National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru itself, according to NCA Chairman and a member of the BCCI’s disciplinary committee Niranjan Shah.

Though the former cricketer accepted that the NCA needed to be shifted from its present location at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, he said that the Karnataka’s capital city of Bengaluru was still the first-choice destination for what would be a revamped NCA with state-of-the-art training and rehabilitation facilities, due to the excellent weather conditions present throughout the year, compared to other states.

"BCCI always has been keen on having academy set up in Bengaluru as the weather in Bengaluru is favourable all through the year and that suits all sports and training," Shah said in a press release issued by the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), for whom Shah works as an honorary secretary, in Rajkot on Thursday.

BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke had revealed on Tuesday that the new venue for the NCA would be finalised within the next days based on the offers they receive from various state associations.

“We will soon be inviting interest from state associations, many of whom have unutilised land in their possession. Some may be willing to give us free of cost, some might have commercial terms. Based on what (offers) we receive, we will finalise this, within a deadline of the next 30 days," Shirke said, as reported by the Times of India on Tuesday.

Clarifying the stance of the BCCO on the issue, Shah said that the only hindrance that could see the NCA relocated to another Indian city was the failure on the part of the Karnataka government to provide the required the land for developing the new NCA.

"It has been decided that the secretary (Ajay Shirke) will write to all state associations and if any of them can get us 30 to 40 acres land with necessary permission from the state government, there is a good chance of NCA being shifted there," Shah said after the NCA meeting, as reported by NDTV Sports.

"NCA can remain in Bengaluru if Karnataka Government provides land by June 30, 2016," Shah was quoted as saying in the release issued on Thursday.

Shah is expecting the state government to react in a positive manner after being pushed to the corner over the issue and is already seeing a few positive steps being taken in this regard.

"It's a positive sign that the state government is coming forward to allot land for the academy after making academy wait for more than six years," Shah said.