BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Saturday (August 3) announced that the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) will be opened shortly in Bengaluru.
The work on the new NCA will commence in 2022. Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah laid the foundation stone for the new project in February 2022. The existing NCA was established in 2000 and is located on the premises of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) owns the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and had rented the B Ground to the BCCI for outdoor practice. The BCCI had also rented an indoor practice facility and a separate space for a gymnasium from the KSCA.
The new National Cricket Academy kicks off today. The foundation stone of the new venue was laid today in Bengaluru. @bcci image.twitter.com/VPHYxcC4yH
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) February 14, 2022
The new NCA will end BCCI’s dependence on KSCA and the KSCA will have full ownership of the new facility. The new facility is located near the Bengaluru airport. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Jay Shah shared several pictures of the new NCA and said that it is almost complete and will open soon.
New NCA is almost complete: Jay Shah
Jay Shah said the new facility features three first-class pitches, 45 practice fields, indoor cricket pitches, an Olympic-sized swimming pool as well as state-of-the-art training, recovery and other facilities for the cricketers. The BCCI secretary also said the initiative will provide India’s current and future cricketers with the best possible environment to hone their skills.
“I am very excited to announce that the new @BCCI National Cricket Academy (NCA) is nearing completion and will be inaugurated shortly in Bengaluru. The new NCA will feature three world-class playing fields, 45 practice pitches, indoor cricket pitches, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and state-of-the-art training, recovery and sports science facilities.
“This initiative will help current and future cricketers of our country develop their skills in the best possible environment!” wrote Jay Shah.
I am very excited to announce that the @BCCIThe new National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru is nearing completion and will be inaugurated shortly. The new NCA will feature three world-class playing fields, 45 practice pitches, indoor cricket pitches, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and… image.twitter.com/rHQPHxF6Y4
-Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 3, 2024
The NCA is primarily used for the development of young cricketers. In addition, the facility is also used for the rehabilitation of injured players. Currently, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman is the director of the NCA.