AGARTALA: The Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) is likely to open the state’s first international cricket stadium at Narsingarh in West Tripura district with a one-day international (ODI) match or an IPL (Indian Premier League) T20 encounter by February next year.
Association secretary Subrata Dey said that the stadium is going to be ready for hosting big-ticket matches by February 2025. “This is our mission to complete the project of the international stadium as early as possible. As per the revised deadline, by January 2025 or mid-February, we will have the stadium ready for hosting high-profile cricket matches. We have already adopted a roadmap for this project, and the agency and the designer company engaged in the project have been directed to expedite the works”, Dey said.
On the inordinate delays that this project has faced, Dey said, “The project’s work was started in the year 2017. Initially, it was supposed to get completed within the stipulated time frame of 22 months. But, due to the slow pace of work from the end of the agencies working here, the project was delayed. However, in order to fast-track the ongoing construction works, we have started holding weekly reviews”.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s election speech, Dey said, “The Union Home Minister, during his election speech at Kumarghat, Unakoti district, has categorically mentioned that the next year, the people of Tripura shall witness the international matches and T20 clashes like IPL here in the state”.
“His words acted as an inspiration for us and also gave us extra mileage. The whole team of TCA including engineers, pitch curators and other technical staff, we are quite hopeful of hosting an international cricketing face-off as an inaugural match. We also want the support of BCCI and others on this”, Dey added.
Being built at a cost of Rs 200 crore in a joint collaboration of the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) and the TCA, the state’s first stadium will have a seating capacity of 25,000 people. (ANI)