With an aim to giver a boost to sports in Uttarakhand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced it would organise international and IPL T20 matches in the proposed cricket stadium in Dehradun.
“If the new stadium is built with all the requisite standards, we will organise international and IPL matches here,” said BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla, after laying the foundation stone for the new cricket stadium which is being built with support from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd. Of the total cost of Rs 100crore for the stadium, the oil major has already released Rs 50 crore.
Thanking ONGC, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said his government was committed to boost sports in the state and would construct a mega sports complex near the cricket stadium. This sport complex, he said, would have facilities for games like table tennis, hockey, football and basketball.
The sports complex, along with the cricket stadium. would be set up at a 25-acres-area at Raipur here.
Speaking on the occasion, ONGC Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Sudhir Vasudeva said the oil company would facilitate the construction of the new stadium under its corporate social responsibility initiative. “We are carrying out many such initiatives where ONGC also provides supports to various players,” Vasudeva added.