Somaiya Cricket Ground-The New Jewel of Mumbai Cricket

Even though Mumbai with every passing day is getting modern in terms of technology, speed & infrastructure but silently there have been a few things which have taken a beating and one of them is quality cricket grounds for cricketers to play and practice. With infrastructure development projects taking place in every corner of Mumbai, the lush green areas of the city & many big grounds which were supposed to be only for sports have gone under the hammer for various projects. Hence, Mumbai at present needs a really good cricket ground where players can be groomed & bred .Amidst such ground crisis, we have a new jewel unearthed for Mumbai Cricket in the form of Somaiya Cricket Ground.

The Somaiya Cricket Ground at Vidyavihar is a Class 1 facility that is set for top-level Competition. The ground has a lush green outfield of international standard with a 68-meter boundary. The Cricket ground boasts of having four floodlights installed to meet the Class 1 criteria of 750 average Lux level. This ground will help train the students and those participating in the Somaiya Sports Academy to train under world-class conditions. The ground will also attract major Cricket enthusiasts in Mumbai city.

Mr Aazaz Khan– the brainchild behind this beautiful ground is the current Director of Somaiya Sports Academy. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of sports as well as marketing. He pursued Cricket in India, played Tennis and Squash in Corporate leagues. He has also done Cricket coaching certification under international coach, Nic Pothas. He pursued the intricacies of spin bowling with Imran Tahir (currently plays for South African national team) while he has played Cricket for Hamble (A Division – Hampshire) and various other Cricket Clubs in England and India.

He has served as a consultant for Hazaribagh Olympic Association and assisted their efforts in grassroots infrastructure and sports development among children and youth across various sports.

Putting the right infrastructure in place and giving emerging players a platform to showcase their talent and learn the sports they love has been a priority for Somaiya Trust. A lot of credit also goes to Samir Somaiya who is the President of the Somaiya Trust and Chairman of the Somaiya Group. There are currently 12 Cricket teams at Somaiya Vidyavihar University which are playing Cricket at a competitive level under the guidance of highly-qualified coaches and fitness trainers. This widening of the player base in an educational institution will ensure a steady supply of quality players helping Indian Cricket’s priority to keep pace with international cricket.

Snaps of the Somaiya Cricket Ground in Vidyavihar