Eight cricket pitches at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan are being returned to affiliated clubs after a nine-year disruption caused by construction work for Metro 3, restoring playing capacity at one of the city’s most important grassroots sporting grounds.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is handing back the renovated pitches to RBI, St Xavier’s, Young Friends Union, Young Muslim, Muslim United, Kila Court, Bohra Cricket Club and John Bright. The redevelopment and ground equipment handover are being marked by a function at the Young Muslim plot at 8.45 am on Sunday.
The pitches were taken over by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2017 for construction of Metro 3. Sixteen of the 22 clubs operating at Azad Maidan were affected by the project, reducing the ground’s capacity from 22 games at a time to nearly half during the construction period.
The eight clubs receiving their pitches back include some institutions with more than a century of history. The restoration work was carried out by MCA veteran curator and maidan co-ordinator Nadim Memon, along with Pramod Yadav and the association’s ground staff.
Memon said the ground had been covered with debris and construction material after the Metro work, making restoration of the pitches and outfield difficult. He said the facilities had now been brought back to a standard at which cricket could resume.
“Cricket is back at the Azad Maidan,” Memon said, describing the return of the eight pitches after nine years of Metro rail work as a significant moment for Mumbai cricket. He credited the MCA maidan committee, ground staff and others involved in restoring the playing surface.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik said the association’s focus was on strengthening grassroots cricket and supporting maidan clubs in developing the next generation of players. The venue hosts major competitions including the Harris and Giles Shield, the Kanga League and the Times Shield.
Azad Maidan has also been a training ground for several leading Mumbai and Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan. The return of the pitches increases the space available for organised matches and training at a ground that had operated with reduced capacity during the Metro construction period.
The handover function will be attended by Naik, MCA secretaries Unmesh Khanvilkar and Nilesh Bhosle, and members of the association’s apex council. The event will formally mark the reopening of the eight redeveloped pitches for cricket activity.
