VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has formally extended an invitation to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to consider Visakhapatnam as their new home ground, should they relocate from Hyderabad.
According to sources, the ACA has offered to host the remainder of SRH’s matches in Visakhapatnam. Additionally, the ACA has proposed hosting the team mid-tournament, and providing tax incentives to the IPL franchise.
The ACA’s offer comes amid an ongoing dispute between the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and SRH regarding complimentary tickets.
SRH has alleged that the HCA management has been harassing the team for free tickets, prompting the team to threaten relocation from their current home ground in Hyderabad.
In response, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered a vigilance probe into the matter. Against this backdrop, the ACA swiftly reached out to the SRH management, led by Kavya Maran, offering support if they decide to leave Hyderabad. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal has been SRH’s home ground.
Meanwhile, the ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam serves as the secondary home ground for Delhi Capitals, owned by the GMR Group.
This season, Visakhapatnam hosted two IPL matches - DC vs LSG and DC vs SRH - which drew sizable crowds.
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Recently, the ACA renovated the Visakhapatnam Stadium, enhancing basic amenities like toilets and luxury facilities like corporate boxes.
“Since the Vizag stadium has only 28,000 seating capacity, IPL franchises may incur loss of around Rs 3 crore per. To mitigate this, we’ve offered a SGST tax benefit of up to Rs 1 crore per match at the Vizag Stadium,” an ACA official revealed to TNIE, requesting anonymity.
If SRH decides to shift their home ground, they need to alter the stadium’s colour theme to match their brand identity. To rebrand the stadium with SRH’s theme, an estimated Rs 10 crore would be required. Currently, the stadium bears the theme of Delhi Capitals. In another development, India is set to host the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, with Visakhapatnam potentially hosting the inaugural match. The State government and ACA are in talks with the BCCI and the ICC to bring this prestigious international event to AP.
Recently, HRD Minister Nara Lokesh met ICC chief Jay Shah on multiple occasions to discuss key initiatives, including the construction of a new cricket stadium, upgrading infrastructure, and attracting more matches to the State. Jay Shah was reportedly impressed with the renovations at the Vizag Stadium, and assured priority scheduling for Vizag in future cricket matches. If the talks yield positive results, the Vizag Stadium is likely to host the inaugural event, and first match of the Women’s World Cup in September this year.
Sources indicate that the BCCI is open to scheduling more T20 and ODIs in Vizag, which is the ACA’s top priority. The ACA aims to host more IPL matches in Vizag, including at least two Delhi Capitals matches, and two Sunrisers Hyderabad matches, given the strong fan base for both teams in AP.