MCA?s Pune stadium named to “Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium”

Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) on Saturday announced its ultra modern Stadium at Pune is being named ?Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium?.

International Cricket Council (ICC) President Sharad Pawar on Saturday made announcement in this regard.

Originally the stadium was proposed to be christened as Sahara India Group, but owing to technical reasons whereby rules did not permit naming after any Corporate brand or Company name, MCA thought of naming the state-of-the-art stadium after the name of the visionary Chairman and Managing Worker of Sahara India Pariwar, as Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.

MCA has embarked upon building its own stadium and work on the project started in 2007 after locating a suitable land at Gahunje; alongside the Expressway.

This ultra modern stadium is being built in two phases and the work for the first phase started in the November 2009. Designed by world renowned architects Hopkins from UK the work is being carried out by Shapoorji Pallonji and company.

One of the major challenges before the association was to secure financial closure of the project as the large investment required to build such a state-of-the-art stadium was beyond the reach of the association alone.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initially assisted the project by increasing the grant for the stadium to Rs 50 crores.

Sahara will have naming rights for the stadium in perpetuity. They will also build an ultra modern club at the site of the stadium with modern amenities and facilities with 40 rooms at their own cost and will get rights to sell membership for the club.

Pune Warriors team will make this stadium as their base and home ground. The bid completes and secures the closure of the financial package required to build phase one and two of the stadium and the club as well.