Salem gets new cricket ground at a cost of Rs 3cr

Salem: Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday inaugurated a new cricket ground in Kariveppilapatti near Thalaivasal here in the presence of former India captain Rahul Dravid. Former International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) president Rupa Gurunath and several state ministers were also present during the occasion.
Pleased with the infrastructure, Srinivasan said there might be a possibility that the ground, built by the Salem Cricket Foundation at a cost of Rs 3 crore, would be turned into a stadium in the near future and host Chennai Super Kings (CSK)’s Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. It was also learnt that TNCA will build temporary stands as it plans to host a few Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) games in the forthcoming season. “If we build stands, the ground can seat around 15,000 spectators which is not bad for an IPL game. So, the TNPL matches will prove as a test event,” a TNCA source told TOI.
Palaniswami also assured that the state government would provide the required support to host the IPL matches. “As far as I know, IPL matches have not been conducted in any place other than Chennai in Tamil Nadu. So, Salem would turn out to be the first city to host the matches outside Chennai. The state government would extend all support for it,’’ he said.
The chief minister said the stadium would benefit the youth in the region and provide a fillip to the game of cricket.
Srinivasan said the stadium would initially host the Tamil Nadu Premier League T20 matches. With CSK set to start their IPL preparatory camp from the first week of March, the former BCCI chief said captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni might visit and inspect the ground along with coach Stephen Fleming. “Eventually, Dhoni would be playing matches in the stadium. So, he needs to take the call. I would like to request the chief minister to watch the match when Dhoni plays,’’ he said.
Lauding the state government and TNCA for developing the ground, Rahul Dravid, who is currently serving as the National Cricket Academy director, said the youth from smaller towns and cities would be playing a crucial role in the future of national cricket. “The next generation of heroes and talents in the country will come from smaller towns and cities and facilities like this would help them achieve their goal.”
The event was marked by a lighter moment when Dravid bowled a few balls to chief minister Edappadi K Palansiwami.