The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune's Gahunje is all set to host the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 quarterfinal tie between Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala from February 8.
Speaking on this occasion, MCA President Rohit Pawar expressed his enthusiasm about hosting such a fixture. "We have a good infrastructure to host the game of cricket, and I'm sure it will be a great playing experience for both teams under these conditions. We hope to witness a competitive contest and wish both Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala the very best," he said.
Highlighting MCA's commitment to excellence, Honorary Secretary Kamlesh Pisal added, "We have a great record of hosting games while strictly abiding by and fulfilling the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) guidelines. Our venue poses no weather concerns, which made it an ideal choice for this crucial match. We are thankful to BCCI for giving us such an opportunity by reposing confidence in MCA and we assure that we will keep the confidence reposed in MCA."
The match was originally scheduled to be held in Jammu as J&K ended as table-toppers of Group A. However, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) requested the BCCI to shift the match out of Jammu due to weather conditions. "Since it's winter, weather would have been a major concern for us, and we did not want to take any risks. Hence, we requested the BCCI to allot us a different venue," Brig. Anil Gupta, the head of the JKCA's BCCI-appointed sub-committee, said.
Meanwhile, Pune's MCA Stadium recently hosted a T20I between India and England, which the former team won by 15 runs. Batting first, India scored 181/9 on the back of half-centuries from Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya. England, on the other hand, managed only 166 as Ravi Bishnoi and Harshit Rana picked three wickets apiece. Dube was awarded the 'Player of the Match' award for his game-changing innings of 53 off 34 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes.
