Wet outfields are now a thing of the past at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

What’s the story?

The IPL 2017 Eliminator between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru is currently stalled due to rain. However, should the rain stop, there’s every likelihood that play will resume despite the battering the ground has taken. Here’s why...

Earlier this year, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) unveiled a state-of-the-art drainage system at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The new system ensures that the outfield can dry up in a matter of minutes.

The new facilities consist of the subsurface aeration and vacuum-powered system designed to ensure rapid drying of the outfield. This will make sure that a wet outfield does not result in abandoning a cricket match.

In case you didn’t know...

This is not the first time rain is affecting a match in Bangalore. The RCB team have suffered a lot in the past due to the rains playing spoilsport in their matches, and once that even prevented them from making it to the playoffs.

KSCA has always had the reputation of being one of the most progressive and forward thinking cricket bodies in India. It has a long list of achievements to be proud of. Solar panels to generate electricity, a sewage treatment plant, and waste management facilities have already been installed at the Chinnaswamy.

The heart of the matter

The drainage system, that has been developed by SubAir and installed by Great Sports Infra, has been completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.25 crore. The drained water from the outfield will be stored in a tank. The water from the tank will then be reused for upkeep and maintenance of the stadium.

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is the first cricket stadium in the world with a next-generation surface drainage stadium. The stadium now finds itself in the elite company of iconic stadiums all over the world such as the Wembley, which also hosts these facilities.

Administrators of all sporting bodies, in India and globally, should ensure that the on-field action is not affected by their lack of action. Rain is something which is not under their control but the cancellation of a match due to a wet outfield can most certainly be avoided by their active intervention.

Author's take

Sometimes, the sun is shining brightly and yet a wet outfield forces cancellation of play. The India vs West Indies Test match at Trinidad and the South Africa vs New Zealand Test match at Durban were two such instances which baffled and frustrated everyone including millions of cricket fans. These situations could have been very easily avoided with a drainage system like the one at Bangalore.

We congratulate KSCA on taking such a progressive step towards infrastructure development and thus setting a benchmark for others to follow.