Sports Facilities in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has been at the forefront of many sports in India. Cricket and Kabadi are the most loved sports in the state but not just this, Maharashtra is also one of the best places to enjoy some of the latest sports facilities. Let's explore the entire sports scenario in Maharashtra:

Major Sports Played in Maharashtra

Cricket in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has undoubtedly dominated Indian and world cricket right from the introduction of the game in India. The first annual cricket tournament in the country started in 1877 in Bombay (now Mumbai) as a match between the Bombay Gymkhana (Europeans) and the Parsees. It then expanded into the Bombay Presidency tournament taking on a triangular, quadrangular and pentangular format till 1936 when the national Ranji Trophy replaced it as the premier cricket tournament of India.

Maharashtra currently has three full fledged teams that participate in the Ranji Trophy. They are the Mumbai team, the Maharashtra team and the Vidarbha team. Out of the 79 Ranji tournaments held so far, the Mumbai team has won a whopping 40 titles and the Maharashtra team has won two, making the region the strongest in cricketing terms.

Mumbai’s players have continued to dominate the world scene also with one single place – Shivaji Park at Dadar – having produced more international cricketers than any other venue in the world! Right from Vijay Merchant, Vijay Manjrekar, and Subhash Gupte to Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli – all of cricket’s great record holders have trained here. Ajit Wadekar, Faroukh Engineer, Sandeep Patil, Ajit Agarkar, Amol Mazumdar – almost every generation’s cricketing hero has been a part of Shivaji Park’s glorious history.

Mumbai has had three official test venues, the Bombay Gymkhana, the Brabourne Stadium, and the Wankhede Stadium with the D.Y Patil stadium at Navi Mumbai being the fourth venue where international tournaments have been held. Elsewhere in Maharashtra, Nagpur and Pune also have been venues for international cricket.

The cricket world cup (1987, 1996, and 2011) matches were held thrice in Maharashtra venues. The IPL matches have also been played here and the Champions trophy has also been played in Maharashtra. Mumbai has its own world famous Kanga League (club level), Times Shield (corporate level) and Harris Shield (Inter School level) tournaments.

Also See: Cricket in Mumbai | Mumbai Cricket Association | Cricket in Pune | Cricket in Nagpur

Football in Maharashtra

The Cooperage ground in Mumbai has seen many iconic football struggles and football teams from Maharashtra have traditionally been at very popular in the domestic football scene. In the Durand cup, Mumbai has two teams – Mumbai FC, Mahindra United and Air India. The Pune FC and the Mumbai FC also compete in the Football Super League in India. Moreover the Maharashtra Football team has won the National Football Championship – the Santosh Trophy four times.

There are several leagues and tournaments played in Maharashtra and there has recently been an effort by the Western India Football Association to invest 100 crores into various football activities to encourage the sport in Maharashtra.
The Ahmed Sailor tournament for under-16 inter-school football held in Mumbai is very popular.

Also see: Football in Pune | Football in Nagpur

Hockey in Maharashtra

Mumbai has a rich hockey tradition. Many greats in Indian Hockey such as Hiranna Nirmal, Tushar Khandekar, Dhanraj Pillay and Viren Rasquinha have come from this state. The first astro-turf surfaces in India were deployed in Mumbai. There are as many as 30 different hockey tournaments played throughout the year in this state.

Traditional Sports Played in Maharashtra

Mallakhamb, Mud Wrestling, and Lagori are the traditional sports in Maharashtra. Mallakhamb has been developed to the level of a serious sports discipline in Maharashtra. There are three major categories (Pole Mallakhamb, hanging Mallakhamb, and rope Mallakhamb) with almost 30 to 35 different gymnastics and acrobatics exercises within these various categories. Many efforts have been made to successfully introduce Mallakhamb at national and international levels and it has found some popularity in TV shows as a method used in acrobatic dancing.

Wrestling – especially mud wrestling is extremely popular in Maharashtra and the first individual Olympic bronze medalist of Independent India – Kashaba Jadhav – was from Maharashtra. Maharashtra has been regularly represented at the Hind Kesari (National Indian Style Wrestling Championships). Some of the notable Hind Kesari winners from Maharashtra are Amol Barate, Maruti Mane, Yogesh Dhodke, and Harishchandra Birajdar.

Lagori – The traditional Maharashtrian version of lagori is called Lingorchya. It is played all over Maharashtra. The game is being promoted at the national level and Maharashtra along with Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Karnataka – has emerged as a major team.

Sports Facilities in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has world class sports facilities and some of these are famous for having hosted national and international events and competitions. Some of these facilities are listed here.

Stadiums in Maharashtra

The major sports stadiums in Maharashtra are mentioned below:

Brabourne Stadium: Located in the prime location of South Mumbai the Brabourne Stadium is one of the oldest cricket stadium of India and Mumbai itself. The cricket ground is owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI). Based on the recommendation of Maharaja of Patiala the stadium was named after Brabourne after the name of Lord Brabourne and came into existence in 1937. This ground has witnessed various memorable innings from time to time by various players which later became milestone in the history of cricket.

Wankhede Stadium: Located in the church-gate area of Mumbai is one of the most popular and well equipped cricket stadiums India has. Operating under the control of Mumbai Cricket Association Wankhede Stadium has proudly hosted various national and international cricket matches from time to time. With sitting capacity of 45,000 spectators at a time teams from various nations have played some unforgettable matches and innings on this ground. The final of forth coming World Cup Cricket is scheduled to be held on this ground.


Azad Maidan: Located in South Mumbai this triangular sports ground is the first choice of aspiring cricketers of Mumbai for practice. One can see huge fleet of young cricketers sweating on ground in the morning and evening for long hours with bat and ball to improve their skills and play their favourite game without any interruption.

Apart from being used as sports ground the Azad Maidan has played an important role in India’s movement of freedom when the eminent leaders like Mahatama Gandhi and various Indian leaders hold public meetings to encourage Mumbaikars to revolt against the British rule.

Oval Maidan: Designed in Oval shape the Oval maidan is promptly used for various sports activities from time to time. Located in its north is DLF cricket academy which is owned by the former and veteran cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar.

Shivaji Park: Shivaji park has witnessed the growth of legends of Indian cricket such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Pravin Amre, Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar sweating on ground to achieve the heights of success. This ground also has a lot of historical importance attached to it. The ground was venue for numerous political rallies and protests which held during pre and post independence era.

Nehru Stadium Pune: The one and alone stadium in Pune is the Nehru Stadium. Erstwhile known as Club of Maharashtra Ground it is the only stadium in Pune which is used for several sports activities and organizing matches of national and international repute. The stadium was constructed in 1969 and has the sitting capacity of 25,000 spectators.

Also see: Stadiums in Pune | Stadiums in Nagpur

The stadium is mainly used for the sports of cricket and has so far organized 11 One Day International Cricket Matches including the two matches of Cricket World Cup of 1987 and 1996 respectively. The first one day International Match was played here in the year 1984 between Indian and England.

Vidharba Cricket Association Stadium: Erstwhile known as Vidharbha Cricket Association Ground was the only cricket stadium in Nagpur. The first match hosted here was in October 3, 1969.

In November 2008, a new stadium was constructed as named as Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. This stadium was constructed on the International norms and the first match played here was between India and Australia. The final of the forth coming Cricket World Cup 2011 is proposed to be hosted in this stadium. The stadium has the sitting capacity of 45, 000 spectators.

Besides this there is a huge fleet various small and local stadiums in every district of Maharashtra where district level matches are played.

Other Major Sports Facilities in Maharashtra

All of the below mentioned faculties have been recognized by professional sports bodies of India or have hosted a regional, national level, or an international sports event.



  

Famous Sports Personalities from Maharashtra

Many famous names in sports have hailed from Maharashtra and the honor and recognition that they have brought to the country has been recognized through the various awards that have been bestowed on them. Here is a list of some of the more famous names from this state who have gone on to heap rich successes for the country. While we have endeavored to make this an extensive list, it is not exhaustive and certainly by no means complete as sportsmen continue to arise and excel from the state.