BCCI at last acquires land to set up new NCA in Bengaluru

What’s the story?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at long last resolved an abiding issue with the Karnataka government and acquired land to set up the new National Cricket Academy (NCA). Interestingly, this is the board’s first property for cricketing purposes.

"The BCCI didn't want to depend on any other association. It gets very difficult to sustain the facility as the control lies with the local association. Having its own property will allow the board to run the academy smoothly," a BCCI source said.

In case you didn’t know...

For over a couple of years now, the BCCI has been planning to find an alternate location to build the NCA with state-of-the-art facilities. The current NCA is situated adjacent to the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and has been criticised for becoming just a ‘rehab centre’.

The details

The registration ended years of doubt for the BCCI, which had made a payment of close to Rs. 50 crore to the Karnataka government to purchase a 49-acre plot near the airport in 2013. However, the transaction was stuck in litigation and blown down as illegal by the High Court of Karnataka.

The chief endeavour of the board was to institute its own facility as it would allow them to run the academy efficiently and not rely on other organisations.

The land allocated for the NCA is a stone’s throw away from the Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli. It should be adequate for three grounds apart from the indoor nets, administrative buildings and the hostels. The land allotted is said to be on a 99-year lease.

What’s next?

The construction work is slated to begin once the board is allotted a further 25 acres of land and the academy is expected to be established in a span of two years.

Author’s Take

Setting up of the new NCA for cricketing purposes is a step in the right direction. This is most definitely a reason to cheer for the BCCI as the academy would set a platform for players aspiring to play for the nation to fraternise with one another much earlier than what is possible now. The new NCA is expected to be one of the best facilities in the world.