CHENNAI: With Madras Cricket Club (MCC) all set to reach an agreement with Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for building a new stand for them, MA Chidambaram Stadium is expected to sport a new look by the end of this year. With MCC close to getting clearance from Greater Chennai Corporation, TNCA wants to commence work soon after the upcoming IPL. The body is looking at a three-month time-frame to be in a position for hosting one of the Tests during England’s tour in February-March 2021.
MCC, which has scheduled its annual general body meeting on January 29, have already told TNCA about the developments. Paperwork on this will commence soon. Apart from rebuilding MCC with a new stand, TNCA will also renovate the Anna Pavilion block with a state-of-the-art dressing room and corporate boxes. Though most stadiums stop activities during renovation, TNCA is looking at the window between May and December to get the stadium ready.
Ahead of the 2011 World Cup, the stadium was renovated at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore. It got nine new stands and roofs similar to the ones at Adelaide Oval. Though the original plan — the brainchild of London-based Hopkins Architects — involved 12 new stands, TNCA and MCC couldn’t get the necessary permissions to bring down the old MCC structure, which was built in 1846. As Chepauk gears up for a face-lift, the architects may add three more stands and increase its capacity.
Since the stadium hosted an ODI recently and a T20I a year ago, its turn to host another international will come only next year. With India not hosting any Tests in 2020, the window provides TNCA to start the work in May and finish it under three-odd months, something they are aiming for. This will allow the stadium to be ready for hosting an England Test in 2021, and also the WT20 later the same year.