ICL signs deal for upgrading Sardar Patel Stadium
ICL to revamp the stadium completely with playing facilities and infrastructure of international standards
Cricinfo staff
27-Aug-2008
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has signed an agreement with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to upgrade the Sardar Patel Stadium in Navrangpura. Under the agreement signed on Wednesday, ICL will spend Rs 10 crore on upgrading the stadium, including an investment of Rs 3-4 crore on floodlights, apart from developing the outfield, pitch, dressing rooms, stands and common areas.
ICL plans to revamp the ground completely during the tenure of the contract, aiming for a "world-class stadium" with playing facilities and infrastructure of international standards. It also plans to set up numerous youth academies across India with robust infrastructure of global standards.
Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL executive board, said he had fond memories of Ahmedabad, where he'd broken the world record for the most number of Test wickets held by Sir Richard Hadlee.
The Ahmedabad Rockets are one of the the teams already playing in the unofficial league, and boasted the likes of Murray Goodwin, Damien Martyn and Wavell Hinds last season.
The new ICL season, which begins on October 10, features 34 matches in four stadiums - the Sardar Patel Stadium, the Tau Devi Lal Stadiums in Panchkula and Gurgaon and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad.
The league, however, is yet to find backing among the national cricket boards around the world with its status becoming a contentious point among the ICC members.