DY Patil to host Ranji tie

The DY Patil Stadium in Nerul will host its first ever Ranji Trophy match since it formally opened the doors for big time cricket. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has awarded the last league tie between Mumbai and Gujarat to the stadium. It will be played from December 29 to January 1.

“It is nice that after six years, Navi Mumbai gets an opportunity to host a first class match. It is good opportunity for cricket lovers in the suburbs to watch quality cricket,” said Vijay Patil, president of DY Patil Sports Academy and MCA vice-president.

The last big ticket match held at the stadium was an IPL IV tie between Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders in May, 2011. Since then it has not hosted any high profile games.

It will also be the first time that the stadium would host a game of longer version. “The Wankhede will host Indian universities’ biggest congress and hence the stadium won’t be available. The managing committee has decided to allocate the Mumbai-Gujarat tie to DY Patil Stadium. The rest of the matches will be held at the Wankhede Stadium,” said Mumbai Cricket Association secretary Nitin Dalal.