The Brabourne Stadium In Mumbai

The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground located near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. Owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI), the Braborne Stadium houses the offices of the BCCI, the governing body of Indian cricket. The Brabourne Stadium was built on a piece of land reclaimed from the sea which Lord Brabourne, Governor of Bombay, presented to the Cricket Club of India after being tempted with an offer of immortality in the bargain. It was officially opened on December 7 1937 following with a match between the CCI and Lord Tennyson’s team. The idea that the ground would be the Lord’s of India (the Cricket Club of India was regarded as the county’s MCC) was the brainchild of a Goan, Neville de Mello. It was as exclusive as its English counterpart and every bit as luxurious – Frank Worrell once remarked that it was the only place in the world where he could watch cricket in his dressing-gown and remove it when it was his turn to bat. It was also a multi-sport complex which hosted international tennis. The Brabourne Stadium came up on a piece of land reclaimed from the sea which Lord Brabourne, Governor of Bombay, presented to the Cricket Club of India after being lured into an offer of immortality in the bargain. Foundation stone of the Brabourne Stadium was laid by Lord Brabourne, the Governor of Bombay, on May 22, 1936.

The stadium formally opened on December 7, 1937 by Sir Lawrence Roger Lumley, the Governor of Bombay. The stadium got its name after Brabourne at the suggestion of the Maharaja of Patiala. But the ground had its problems, mostly notably with the crowds who were often crammed in beyond capacity, and that, allied to constant disputes over ticketing arrangements, led to the Bombay Cricket Association building its own stadium half a mile away. The ground was initially intended to provide covered accommodation for 35,000 audiences and contain pavilion, tennis courts and a swimming pool. The first match was played in the incomplete stadium in October 1937 between CCI and the Spencer Cup XI. Brabourne stadium hosted Test matches from 1948 to the 1972, as well as the Bombay Pentangular matches. After a dispute between CCI and MCA, the Brabourne Stadium ceased to be a major venue for international matches. Brabourne hosted seventeen Test matches, starting with two against West Indies in India’s first home series after the war in 1948-49. Vijay Hazare scored a hundred in each of his four appearances. 16 Ranji Trophy finals were played at the stadium between 1938 and 1973. Among the other notable innings played at the ground are Denis Compton’s 249 for Holkar in the 1944-45 final and Ajit Wadekar’s triple century in 1966-67 against Chandrasekhar and Prasanna. The Brabourne Stadium has lost its sheen now a days, and although it has hosted the occasional first-class match (Sachin Tendulkar made the first double century of his first-class career during Mumbai’s win over Australia in 1997-98). Brabourne hosted the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania second round Group match between India and Pakistan in April 2006. Brabourne was among the four grounds that hosted the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. International Cricket returned to the ground almost after 11 years when West Indies and Sri Lanka played the sixth match in the qualifying round.

  The Cricket Club of India (CCI) came into existence as a company, on 8 November 1933. The then president of the BCCI – R.E. Grant Govan, was appointed as the President of CCI, while the then Secretary of BCCI – Anthony de Mello – served as the Secretary of CCI, from 1933 to 1937. Bombay Governor Lord Brabourne and Mello arranged talks to negotiate for the establishment of a new cricket stadium. This gave rise to the foundation of Brabourne stadium. The foundation stone of the stadium was laid by Lord Brabourne on 22 May 1936, after whom the stadium was named. During the time of its establishment, the Brabourne stadium had a seating capacity of 20000 spectators. It contained a pavilion, a couple of tennis courts and a swimming pool too. The first cricket match in the stadium was played between the CCI and the Spencer Cup XI, when the stadium was still incomplete. On 7 December 1937, the Governor of Bombay – Roger Lumley officially inaugurated the stadium. Thereafter, the inaugural first class match was played in the stadium, between CCI and Lord Tennyson’s XI. Brabourne stadium hosted its first Test match in 1948-49, when West Indies had played against India at the latter’s home series. Between a period extending from 1938 to 1973, as many as 16 Ranji Trophy finals were played at the stadium. Denis Compton’s 249 not out for Holkar in the 1944-45 final and Ajit Wadekar’s triple century in the 1966-67 season are some of the memorable records, which the stadium has witnessed. The highest Test total of 629/6 declared by West Indies against India in the stadium in 1948-49 remains fresh in the minds of cricket lovers. Brabourne stadium is a cricket stadium located in Mumbai, India. Owned by the Cricket Club of India, the stadium houses the headquarters of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The stadium was named after the then Bombay Governor Lord Brabourne, at the suggestion of the Maharaja of Patiala. The Brabourne stadium used to be Mumbai’s first-choice ground for hosting international matches, until 1973, when it had a spat with the Bombay Association. Ever since the Brabourne Stadium was built in Mumbai, CCI did not maintain good terms with their tenants – the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA). The causes of the strain in the relationship were the disputes regarding the allotment of seats in the stadium. The anger aggravated, when in 1971, BCA was told not to allot extra seats for England’s tour of India in 1972. CCI asserted that it expenses a lot for the maintenance of the ground and any further concessions would result in heavy losses to the Club. With contrasting perception, BCA went on to construct a new stadium under the guidance of President S.K. Wankhede. This gave rise to the establishment of Wankhede, another stadium in Bombay. Since then, Brabourne staged only a handful of major matches, for about the following two decades. After a gap of 13 long years, international cricket was again played in the stadium, in 1989, when Pakistan played Australia in an ODI. However, when Bombay Cricket Association came up with the Wankhede stadium, Brabourne started missing the big games and had to be content playing host to first class matches. Go through the following lines to know more about Brabourne cricket stadium. The stadium is to be found near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. It also comprises the headquarters of the BCCI, which is the governing body of Indian cricket. The coliseum happens to be on a piece of land that has been reclaimed from the sea. It was offered to the Cricket Club of India by Lord Brabourne, who was the Governor of Mumbai (or Bombay) in those times. He himself laid the foundation stone of the stadium on May 22, 1936. The Brabourne these days has an air of faded splendor, and although it has hosted the occasional first-class match (Sachin Tendulkar made the first double century of his first-class career during Mumbai’s win over Australia in 1997-98). International cricket returned to the venue after a 11-year hiatus, when it hosted five 2006 Champions Trophy games. It was later named a Test venue for England’s tour of India in 2008, marking a revival after 35 years.On December 7, 1937, Brabourne Stadium was officially opened by Sir Lawrence Roger Lumley – the then Governor of Bombay. The stadium was named after Lord Brabourne, as recommended by the Maharaja of Patiala. Initially, the stadium was projected to have pavilion, tennis courts and a swimming pool, while providing sheltered accommodation for 35,000 spectators. In October 1937, the stadium, under construction, hosted its first match between CCI and the Spencer Cup XI. One of the oldest stadiums of India, it was established in 1937. This stadium seems to have lost its splendour now except for an occasional first class match that is played here. This ground is not as big when compared to the other grounds in Mumbai with a capacity of 20,000. The stadium was built on a piece of land which Lord Brabourne, the then Governor of Bombay, presented to the Cricket Club of India after being tempted with an offer of immortality in the bargain. It was officially opened on December 7, 1937 and hosted its first test from in 1948 between India and the West Indies. The ground was designed by Neville de Mello who wanted this ground to be the Lords of India. One Day International cricket was brought to this ground in 1989 when Australia played Pakistan. After it was built, the Pentangular shifted here from the Bombay Gymkhana in 1937-38 and it was here that the Vijay Merchant – Vijay Hazare rivalry was played out. When Wankhede was built, this ground completely lost its charm, until India played Australia in a T20 match in 2007.Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI). Located in the bustling city of Mumbai, the stadium had been the host of the test matches from 1948 to 1972. Apart from the test matches, it made the venue for the Bombay Pentangular matches too. Subsequent to the argument between CCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in the early 1970′s, Brabourne Stadium didn’t make the arena for international matches. The Brabourne Stadium has a rich and fascinating history. After it was built,the Pentangular shifted here from the Bombay Gymkhana in 1937-38 and it was here that Vijay Merchant – Vijay Hazare rivalry was played out with no quarter asked and none given. In the 1943-44 final between Rest and Hindus, Hazare parried Merchant’s record 250 with an astonishing 309 out of 387, despite which Rest lost by an innings. Hazare also hit centuries in all his four Tests at Brabourne. Merchant never played a Test here but made over 35% of his career first-class runs on this wicket, including an unbeaten 359 v Maharashtra. Eleven of the 17 Tests here were drawn but there were some tense finishes – in 1948-49 against the West Indies, umpire Joshi removed the bails with 90 seconds left on the clock and India six short of a maiden Test win.

How to Reach Brabourne Stadium Mumbai:

Board a local or hire a taxi/auto or bus.One can easily reach Brabourne Stadium by boarding buses or trains, or by hiring autos or taxis from the city.From Airport a person needs to get a Taxi (Cab) or alternately Local Train Towards south of Mumbai which takes about 45 mins in train and get down at Churchgate Station, and from there it can be said as walkable distance. Also see picture and Photos of Brabourne Stadium in some time later.