Cricket and Conflict: The Fascinating Story of How Wankhede Stadium Came to Be
Mumbai is the cricket hub of India. The city is home to many gymkhanas, maidans, and 2 international cricket stadiums situated on the marine lines.
And not just that, the city has given India some of the greatest cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and many more.
All of them started their careers by playing on the maidans of Mumbai and went on to play at some of the most famous stadiums across India.
In this blog, I am going to share the story of one of the most iconic stadiums in India — Wankhede Stadium.
Yes, the same stadium that hosted the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
So, let’s get the ball rolling.
Mumbai and Cricket
It’s fair to say that Mumbai is the powerhouse of Indian cricket. And the credit goes to the British, who ruled the subcontinent for approximately 90 years.
However, people have been playing cricket in Mumbai since the 1800s. The Englishmen stationed in Bombay (now Mumbai) used to play cricket on the Azad Maidan, which, along with the Oval Maidan and Cross Maidan, was part of the Esplanade.
And the locals then picked up the sport. In 1848, the Parsi community set up the Oriental Cricket Club. But the club only existed for a couple of years.
In the following years, many clubs cropped up. However, cricket flourished in Mumbai when Colonel George Robert Canning Harris served as Bombay Presidency Governor from 1890–1895.
Lord Harris, a former England Test cricketer, played an instrumental role in furthering Indian interest in cricket. And he also allocated land on the Mumbai seafront to set up several gymkhanas and maidans.
These gymkhanas and maidans have produced some of the greatest players who went on to play for India. And one of these gymkhanas hosted the first test match played on Indian soil.
Pre-Wankhede Era
The Bombay Gymkhana, established in 1875, stands next to the Azad Maidan. During that time, it was out of bounds for ‘Indians and Dogs’!
But, in 1933–34, the same Bombay Gymkhana hosted the first-ever test match in India. And the test match was part of 3 match series against England.
Temporary stands were set up to accommodate a record crowd of 50,000 people. Nowadays, it’s hard to see a big crowd turn up for a test match unless it’s a match between India, England, or Australia.
Although people remember the only test played at this venue for
- India’s first test century by Lala Amarnath who scored 118 runs
- First 5-wicket haul by Mohammad Nissar in India
However, after this series, India didn’t host any test matches until 1948 due to World War II.
Later, from 1948 to 1973, the Brabourne Stadium hosted all Tests played in Mumbai.
The Cricket Club of India (CCI) — the owner of Brabourne Stadium — was incorporated as a private company in 1933, a month before the first Test match in India.
Now the formation of CCI is an interesting story, but more on that in a separate blog.
The CCI was based in New Delhi; however, they chose Bombay as the location to build its new ground.
Lord Brabourne, the then Bombay Governor, laid the foundation stone on May 22, 1936. The Brabourne Stadium was built on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land on Marine Lines with a seating capacity of 35,000 people.
In 1937, the ground was inaugurated and named after Lord Brabourne. Since then, India played a total of 17 Test matches until 1973, but a dispute put a stop to Test cricket at this venue.
So, what was the dispute, and how did it lead to the creation of Wankhede Stadium?
The Dispute
Back in the day, some disputes occurred between the CCI and the Bombay Cricket Association, or BCA (now Mumbai Cricket Association), over profit-sharing and ticket allocation for cricket matches.
You see, BCA was the governing body of cricket in Mumbai and the adjoining area. But BCA didn’t own a stadium to host matches. So they had to host the matches at CCI.
During that time, Sheshrao Krishnarao Wankhede, the then Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, was the President of BCA.
On many occasions, BCA requested to allocate more tickets. But CCI refused, stating that they spend a significant amount on ground maintenance and any concession would cause the club to lose revenue. The BCA was so annoyed with this unreasonable behaviour.
However, in 1973–74, things got pretty intense when CCI President Vijay Merchant, the former Indian cricketer, refused SK Wankhede’s proposal to host charity matches for MLAs at the Brabourne Stadium.
A heated argument followed, and Wankhede said, “If you continue this unfair treatment, then we will build our own stadium.”
Then Merchant said, “You Marathi people won’t be able to do it. You don’t understand anything about cricket.”
This insulting reply hurt Wankhede the most. He then convinced the general body of BCA to construct its own stadium in Mumbai.
“We are like a tenant who now wants to build his own house. Dual control always creates problems, and the stadium is being built for our own game. We don’t want to hurt or create a loss for anyone”, SK Wankhede said after their decision.
Later, Wankhede met the then Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vasantrao Naik, with the proposal of constructing a new stadium. However, Naik refused to finance the project, citing a fund crunch. But Wankhede said, “Just give me the approval, and I’ll look after the rest.”
The Accomplishment
A 13-acre piece of land near Churchgate Station reserved for sports purposes was allocated for the stadium. And it was less than a kilometre away from Brabourne Stadium.
Coincidentally, the BCA was already building a small clubhouse with a stand on the same plot to accommodate 7,000 people.
Shashi Prabhu — the architect of Wankhede Stadium — was building the clubhouse. So they asked Pabhu to convert this clubhouse into a stadium.
Unlike any delayed public project, in 1974, the Wankhede Stadium’s construction was completed in 11 months and 23 days.
The stadium, named after BCA President SK Wankhede for his hard work, had a seating capacity of 45,000 (now 33,000).
And finally, BCA hosted a cricket match in its own stadium.
In 1975, the Wankhede Stadium hosted the 5th Test match between India and the West Indies. Although India lost the match by 201 runs, the city got an iconic stadium that has witnessed some memorable performances over the years.
Cherishable Moments
Ravi Shastri — 6 sixes in an over
Remember the India versus England match in the 2007 T20I World Cup in South Africa? Yuvraj Singh smashed 6 sixes in an over against Stuart Broad.
Yeah, but what’s the connection between South Africa and Wankhede Stadium?
See, when Yuvraj was batting in that over, coincidentally, Ravi Shastri was doing the commentary. Even before Yuvraj, in 1985, Shastri hit 6 sixes in an over.
Shastri etched his name in the history books against Baroda’s Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy match at Wankhede Stadium. He became the first Indian cricketer and the second cricketer to achieve this feat after Sir Garfield Sobers.
(Made this meme last year on its 15th anniversary 😜)
2011 World Cup Final
How can I forget the 2011 Cricket World Cup final?
- That moment when the whole stadium was singing Vande Mataram
- That winning six from Dhoni to lift the World Cup after 1983
- That iconic commentary by Ravi Shastri, which I still remember word by word
- And, of course, the victory lap at Wankhede Stadium
Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test
16 November 2013. Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th and last Test match at Wankhede.
Many fans turned up to watch him play one last time, and many, including me, watched it on their TVs. On that day, every Indian cricket fan gave an emotional farewell to the God of Cricket.
Indian fans will cherish these and many more moments for a lifetime.
With that, it’s a wrap! And don’t forget to share this blog with your friends and family.
