Maharashtra Cricket Association MCA Stadium, Pune: Haven in Maharashtra

Nestled between the Mumbai Pune highway in a town called Gahunje lies the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium or the MCA stadium. The home of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, it is one of the newest cricket grounds and the best venues in India, known for some of the most interesting matches and the mountain backdrop. Part of the 4 venues for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, the MCA Stadium in Pune has also been the home ground for the  Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 and 2017 IPL season, and for Chennai Super Kings for a part of the tournament in 2018.

Credit: Wikimedia Images

In this Chapter by ZAP Cricket, let’s dive deep and know more about the MCA Pune Cricket Stadium, its history, the important matches played and the records in each format. 

The History and Construction of the MCA Stadium Pune:

Prior to the venue’s construction, Maharashtra Cricket Association's international matches were played in Nehru Stadium in Pune. The Pune Cricket Stadium (Maharashtra Cricket Association Stad), was built as a result of a disagreement over Nehru ground ticket distributions with the Pune Municipal Corporation. An India vs Sri Lanka in  match had to be shifted to Kolkata due to the MCA's inability to host the match, due to the disagreement. So, a new venue was decided to be built, and the then BCCI President Sharad Pawar officiated the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2007. 

The venue was designed by British architect Sir Michael Hopkins who also created the Lord's Cricket Ground's mount stand and Ages bowl of Southampton in England. The arena was completed and inaugurated in April 2012. Since its completion, the ground has served as a home ground for various IPL teams. It boasts a unique rainwater drainage system and strategic design for unobstructed views.

Architectural Features at the Pune MCA Stadium:

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The MCA Ground features a main 15-wicket match ground, accompanied by a practice area with nets for training and smaller matches. The facility encompasses a members' pavilion, media stand, and diverse amenities for 5,000 members, including a squash and badminton courts, a pool, spa, restaurants, and bars. Corporate hospitality is facilitated through 80 seating boxes. An advanced indoor Cricket Academy with residential accommodations supports youth training. Ample parking for almost 4,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers further enhances its grandeur.

Read More: Largest Cricket Ground in the World

MCA Cricket Stadium Capacity, Boundary Length and Pitch Conditions:

Credit: SportsTime247

The MCA Cricket Stadium in Pune boasts a capacity of 37,406 spectators and features two distinctive ends, namely the Pavilion End and the Hill End. It's surface typically creates a favourable pitch for batting. The pressure of a significant run chase has historically favoured the side batting first, making them slightly more successful. The distance to the boundary for a straight shot is 74 meters, making it difficult to score runs. Square boundaries are shorter at 65 meters, making it easier to score runs. The closest boundaries, behind the batsman are 58 meters away, making it the easiest place to score runs.

Important Matches played at the MCA Cricket Ground in Pune:

Though the venue does not have a huge history, it has still seen some of the most thrilling matches ever. 

India vs Australia (1st Test, 2017):

Credit: CricketSoccer

The test match between India and Australia back in 2017, is infamously remembered for the bad pitch due to which the game ended only in a matter of 3 days. Australia outplayed India in both innings and won the match by 333 runs very comfortably. This was a defeat I witnessed first hand. 

India vs South Africa (ODI Series, 2019):

Pune stadium is also where one of the best innings in test cricket were ever played. In the test series between India and South Africa, in 2019, Virat Kohli played the best test innings of his life scoring 254, his highest score ever. This innings helped India defeat south Africa by an innings and 137. He showed us how good he is as a captain and a batsman.

India vs England (1st ODI, 2017):

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

Also, the match between India and England in 2018, at the this ground showcased one of the best ever partnerships in ODI cricket. England scored a massive 350 runs in their quota of 50, and restricted india for 63-4 with their bowling and all of us thought the match was over, but for two people in the dressing room it was their time to become heroes. Virat Kohli was obviously one of them, the second surprisingly being Kedar Jadhav. Both scored a century and with a partnership of exactly 200, won the match for India. Kedar Jadhav was awarded the man of the match for his brilliant 120 off just 76 balls.

Maharashtra Cricket Association Pune Cricket Stadium  Records:

Test Records:

The first Test game was played at the Pune Cricket Stadium on February 23, 2017 and since then only two test matches have been played here. 

ODI Records:

The first ever ODI at this venue was played on October 13, 2013 and a total of 7 One days have been played here. In the seven matches that were played, teams batting first won four of them, while teams chasing won three of them. The average score for teams batting first was 307, with India recording the highest team total at 356/7 and New Zealand recording the lowest at 230/9. 

ODIs Played	Most Runs Scored (current players)	Highest Score	Most Wickets Taken (current players)	Best Bowling Figures
7	448 runs (Virat Kohli)	124 runs	10 wickets (Bhuvneshwar Kumar)	4/35 (Jasprit Bumrah)

T20 Records:

The first ever T20I game at this ground was played on 20 December 2012 and since then 4 t20s have been played. 

Highest total: 201/6 by India vs Sri Lanka, 2020

Lowest total: 101 by India vs Sri Lanka, 2016

Average first innings score: 153 runs

Highest individual score: 57 by Dhananjaya de Silva (SL) vs India, 2020

Best bowling figures: 3/16 by Dasun Shanaka (SL) vs India, 2016

Highest partnership: 97 by KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan (IND) vs Sri Lanka, 2020

Here are all the major IPL Records at this venue:

Category	Record
Highest total	211 runs by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), 2018
Lowest total	73 runs by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), 2017
Highest score by a batsman	106 runs off 57 balls by Shane Watson (RR) vs KXIP, 2018
Best bowling figures	4 wickets for 10 runs by Lungi Ngidi (CSK) vs KXIP, 2018
Most runs scored	452 runs by Steven Smith (RR/CSK)
Most wickets taken	15 wickets by Imran Tahir (CSK)

Read more: Most Runs in all Formats | Most Centuries in all Formats | Most Wickets in all Formats

The ICC World Cup 2023 Matches:

The MCA Stadium for the first time ever will host world cup matches. Five 2023 ICC World Cup matches, including the India-Bangladesh encounter on October 19th, are slated to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium. It was vying to host the 2011 World Cup, but due to building delays, it was unable to do so.

Here is a table of all the matches in MCA Stadium Pune for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup:

Match	Date	Time
India vs Bangladesh	October 19, 2023	2:00 PM IST
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka	October 30, 2023	2:00 PM IST
New Zealand vs South Africa	November 1, 2023	2:00 PM IST
England vs Netherlands	November 8, 2023	2:00 PM IST
Australia vs Bangladesh	November 11, 2023	2:00 PM IST

FAQ:

Q- What is the capacity of MCA Stadium?

The current capacity of MCA Stadium is 37,406.

Q- What is the full form of MCA Stadium?

The full form is Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground in Pune, India. 

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