When the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Nerul was inaugurated in 2007, critics and players unanimously hailed the Navi Mumbai venue as the best thing to have happened in India as far as cricketing infrastructure was concerned. In fact, the state-of-the-art facilities became a stepping stone for other stadiums in India that have emerged in recent times.

A general view of Dr DY Patil Cricket Stadium during the IPL opening ceremony on March 12, 2010. Pic/Shadab Khan