Rohit Sharma, India's Test and ODI captain, will get a stand named after him at the Wankhede Stadium. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) ratified the decision during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday evening. Apart from Rohit Sharma, the late India captain Ajit Wadekar will also get a stand named after him at the Wankhede in Mumbai.
The former BCCI and MCA president Sharad Pawar will also have a stand named after him at the Wankhede.
“These stands and this lounge shall forever echo the legacy of those who built Mumbai’s cricketing spirit — brick by brick, run by run,” MCA President Ajinkya Naik said in an official statement.
Earlier, Ratnakar Shetty, a veteran administrator, had urged the MCA to honour Ajit Wadekar, who led India to Test series wins in West Indies and England in 1971.
The Grand Stand Level 3 at the Wankhede will be named after Sharad Pawar, while the Grand Stand Level 4 will belong to the late Ajit Wadekar. Rohit Sharma will have Divecha Pavilion Level 3 to his name.
The match day office at the MCA Pavilion will now be known as the MCA Office Lounge in memory of former MCA President Amol Kale.
Under Rohit Sharma, India broke the ICC title drought in 2024 by winning the T20 World Cup. This was the first time that India won an ICC title in 11 years. Eight months later, Rohit also led India to a Champions Trophy win in February 2025.
{{/usCountry}}Under Rohit Sharma, India broke the ICC title drought in 2024 by winning the T20 World Cup. This was the first time that India won an ICC title in 11 years. Eight months later, Rohit also led India to a Champions Trophy win in February 2025.
{{/usCountry}}India also reached the finals of the Men's ODI World Cup 2023, but it fell short against Australia only in the summit clash. It must be mentioned that no cricketer from Mumbai has led India to a T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy win.
Rohit Sharma has represented Mumbai in domestic cricket ever since the beginning of his career. Earlier this year, he represented the state in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier this year, Rohit Sharma was under immense pressure following his poor returns in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The lack of form in the longest format prompted Rohit to stand out from the last Test in Sydney.
However, the India captain turned the tide in white-ball format, first leading to a series win against England in the ODI series and then the Champions Trophy. In the eight-team tournament, Rohit, 37, displayed exceptional leadership as India went unbeaten in the tournament.
What other decisions did MCA take?
During the AGM, it was also decided to increase the corpus for affiliated clubs to INR 75 crore, and it is planned to increase to INR 100 crore in the coming years. This move aims to strengthen the grassroots infrastructure further and support the long-term growth of cricket across Mumbai.
"Today’s decisions reflect our deep respect for the pillars of Mumbai cricket and our determination to build an even stronger future," MCA President said.
For the uninitiated, the naming of any stand at the Wankhede Stadium needs the approval of the AGM.
The East Stand at the Wankhede Stadium is named after former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. West Stand is named after Vijay Merchant, while the North Stand has been named after Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar.
In 2022, the MCA decided to have a life-size statue of Sachin Tendulkar inside the Wankhede Stadium.