Mumbai ground where cricketer Ajinkya Rahane practised to be developed into sports complex

Sambhaji Raje ground in Mulund (East) will have a cricket ground with 10 pitches, football field, running track, basketball and volleyball courts

A playground in Mumbai’s eastern suburb of Mulund, where cricketer Ajinkya Rahane practised and honed his skills during his early cricketing days, will be developed into a multi-sports complex soon.

School children performing suryanamaskar at Sambhaji Raje ground in Mulund, which will be developed into a multi-sports complex soon. (HT File Photo)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Garden Infrastructure Cell (GIC) is planning to construct a multi-sports complex at the 33,000 sqm Sambhaji Raje ground in Mulund (East), which will give the suburb its first professional cricket ground.

The cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 7 crore.

The project’s bhoomipujan was performed at the ground on Thursday.

As per plan, the complex will have a full-fledged cricket ground, as well as a large football field. Civic officials said the cricket ground would have 10 pitches, reconstructed from the existing seven pitches.

“The ground is currently used by cricket and football enthusiasts. When we started planning a multi-sports complex here, local residents told us that cricketer Ajinkya Rahane used to practise here and that budding athletes, inspired by him, use this ground on a regular basis,” said a senior civic official, who did not wish to be named. “Considering the huge demand for cricket and football practice, we decided to increase the number of cricket pitches and construct a full-size football ground.”

Apart from these two grounds, the BMC also plans to construct volleyball and basketball courts in the complex.

Recently, the BMC acquired a 4,000 sqm plot that had been with Mulund Gymkhana, and this has also been added to the 29,000sqm complex.

The ground already has a running track, which will be reconstructed. Now, a skating ring will be built that will run adjacent to the track. “The running track is maintained poorly, so visitors don’t use it. We will refurbish the track and build a skating ring alongside,” the official said.

Unlike other complexes, this one will not have a viewing gallery though, because of space crunch.

The GIC plans to build one more sports complex on a plot assigned as open space in Mulund. The 23,000 sqm plot is located at Hari Om Nagar, and will also boast of multi-sports facilities, said another GIC official. This complex is estimated to cost around Rs 10 crore.