Mumbai’s cricket future lies in maidans, not mega-stadiums, experts say

Jagdish Achrekar. Pic/Rane Ashish

Mumbai has two world-class cricket venues in the Wankhede Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium besides of course the Brabourne Stadium - all three situated within a 35 km corridor.

However, the country's commercial capital is an infrastructure-saturated zone. And due to this, pushing for a new one-lakh capacity cricket stadium in Thane - as proposed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis - risks creating a geographical white elephant that could remain underutilised for most part of the year.

To truly honour the chief minister's pledge of expanding playing spaces, the government should pivot from the mega-structure plan to Mumbai's age-old maidans concept. Mumbai's cricketing future depends on reviving its vanishing maidan culture, not by adding more concrete to an already saturated mix, and the Mumbai Cricket Association will be better served by prioritising versatile open grounds for its local tournaments and grassroots programme.

The state should conduct immediate feasibility studies on repurposing specific plots like the unreserved Mulund dumping ground, the surplus Kanjurmarg metro land, and/or the Eastern Waterfront (MbPT). The Mulund dumping ground, a 50-acre site undergoing bio-mining, has recently seen proposals for a golf course. However, a golf course serves only the elite few, whereas a new ‘North Azad Maidan' could benefit thousands of local cricketers. Transforming underutilised land parcels into playgrounds is more feasible than creating another international venue.

It's time to prioritise players, who need pitches to bat/bowl on, over stadiums with empty seats. After all Mumbai's cricketing legacy is built on active grit, not grandstands.

Jagdish Achrekar was MCA's Treasurer before the 2022 elections

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper