The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday inaugurated the new state-of-the-art National Cricket Academy. The new NCA, which has been built on the outskirts of Bengaluru, will be known as the 'Centre of Excellence'.
The facility was unveiled by the BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah. The new facility will be functional in early 2025 and will become the main centre for training, sports science, rehabilitation and injury management.
What facilities will the new NCA have?
The facility spans over 40 acres of land near Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. It features three world-class stadiums along with 86 pitches both indoor and outdoor. It has various training facilities.
Ground A will be the main venue which will have an 85-yard boundary with 13 Mumbai red soil pitches. It also boasts advanced floodlights with state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities.
The facility also has Ground B and C which will serve as practice grounds with boundary sizes of 75-yards. The venues have 11 Mandya soil pitches and nine black cotton soil pitches from Kalahandi, Odisha.
There is also an innovative subsurface drainage system to remove water after rainfall. There are 45 outdoor pitches with nets with different surfaces from red soil, Mandya soil, Kalahandi black cotton soil and concrete pitches. Eight pitches after also present in the indoor practice facility with turfs brought from the UK and Australia.
The head of NCA opened up on the facility during an interaction with the media. "I think the beneficiaries will be not only the future generation of cricketers but also the current generation of cricketers, Laxman said.
"Since the time I joined the NCA in December 2021, all the cricketers, they come here, not only for rehab. Obviously, there is a misconception that the cricketers come only for rehab. But they come to the NCA to upskill, get ready for the challenges during the various series they are going to participate in.
"I am sure that all the players who come to this facility, all the players who will be part of this programme will strive to achieve excellence, will strive to become the best they can. And in the process, the Indian cricket team in all the formats will probably be the best in the world," he added.
