Punjab Cricket Association plans new international stadium in Chandigarh

What’s the story?

The Punjab Cricket Association has plans in place for building a new international cricket stadium near the Togan and Tira villages in Mullanpur, new Chandigarh, with a seating capacity of 38,000. The stadium would be the second one in the state to host international cricket matches after the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.

Some striking features of his newly-proposed stadium include a players’ pavilion, sub-surface drainage system, seven pitches – including three red-soil pitches akin to the ones at the Wankhede Stadium – four six-light towers, as opposed to the 18 that are in place at Mohali, solar panels on the roof and a parking space for 1600 cars.

PCA has set the target of completing its construction by 2019-2020.

In case you didn’t know...

The IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali is the only international cricket stadium in the state of Punjab that’s currently in use for international cricket. Owing to its proximity to the nearby airbase, there are 18 floodlights in the stadium at a height that’s comparatively less than what’s generally observed across cricket stadiums.

Commonly known as the PCA Stadium, Mohali, the ground has hosted several memorable games, one of the most noticeable of them being the game between India and Australia during the ICC World T20 2016.

Details

“Players and fans have memories of the players sitting in the pavilion area of the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The new stadium will have a players’ pavilion like the ones at Lords in England and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where players will walk to the playing area through the stairs and fans will be able to see and cheer them from close quarters,” the project director of the proposed stadium, DK Bassi said.

“Normally, the building area is made first but this is for the first time that we have started preparing the ground and pitches along with the building area. We expect to complete the stadium in 2019-2020 and it will be ready to host international matches at the start of 2020.”

The IS Bindra Stadium hosted the India vs Australia match during the ICC World T20 2016

First ideated by IS Bindra, the then PCA President in 2011, the stadium’s estimated cost of construction is Rs. 150 crores and would be built on a 38.20-acre site. The sub-surface drainage system at the ground would allow it to drain within 30 minutes of a rain interruption.

“We will have seven pitches, out of which three will be made from red soil. Apart from that, the stadium will also have a new practice ground and pitches for the teams. The dressing rooms will accommodate 28 people,” said Bassi.

“In Mohali stadium, we have 18 small light towers due to proximity to the airport but this stadium will have four-six light towers with combined illumination of 2,200 lux. The rooftop will have solar panels which will provide 250 KV of electricity.”

As opposed to Mohali’s seating capacity of 27,000, this new stadium would accommodate 38,000 spectators, which makes for a decent rise of 18,000 in general stands. The Corporate Pavilion will have approximately 6,000 seats whereas the South Pavilion and the Players’ Pavilion will have 12,000 seats.

It would also boast of a new media box.

Author’s take

While the historic significance of the IS Bindra Stadium cannot be negated, this plan of building a new one should be welcomed not only because it would give India a new international venue, but it would also provide the domestic cricketers with a new ground to practice at.

Often, under the pretext of international cricket, the significance of domestic cricket is lost, and therefore, such steps and plans only help further the cause of developing the game at the grassroots level.