Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium

Location and history

thumb|left|400px|The snow-capped [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] mountains in the background Earlier, the BCCI and state government had the plan to make International Stadium in Shimla. The location in Shimla proposed for this was Annadale. But despite every try the Army did not accept this, because Annadale is an Army Cantonment area and its ground serves as important strategic location for Army as well as for the ARTRAC Shimla. After the failure of this plan then it was shifted to Dharamshala, and then HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala was finally chosen.

The stadium served as the home ground for the Himachal Pradesh cricket team for Ranji Trophy matches and other domestic matches. The stadium also hosted some IPL matches as a home stadium for Punjab Kings.

The picturesque venue is unique in India as it is situated at an altitude of 1,457 m above sea level and has snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the background. Getting to Dharamsala from the nearby Kangra Airport, which is about 8 kilometres away through the hilly terrain and the harsh winters, during which it rains and snows, is a deterrent to organizing regular matches.

Dav Whatmore, the former Director of the National Cricket Academy in India had recommended during his tenure that the stadium is suitable for hosting international cricket matches. The first international team who played at this ground was the Pakistani cricket team, when they played a warm-up match against India A in 2005.

The first One Day International (ODI) at this stadium was played between India and England on 27 January 2013. England won the match by 7 wickets. The first Test at this stadium was played between India- Australia on 25–29 March 2017, India won the match.

In November 2015, the stadium was selected as one of the six new Test match venues in India along with the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, JSCA International Stadium Complex, Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Holkar Stadium and Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

The venue has been used sporadically for IPL matches and due to its high altitude has a reputation for six hitting. Adam Gilchrist became the first player to score a century in the IPL at the HPCA stadium in 2011 against RCB, an innings that included a 122m six off Charl Langeveldt.

ACC Centre of Excellence

In December 2015, Asian Cricket Council decided to set up Centre of Excellence at Dharamshala.

2016 ICC World Twenty20

On 21 July 2015, the BCCI announced the names of the eight cities which would be hosting matches during the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. Dharamshala was announced as one of the eight venues for the event. On 11 December 2015, ICC announced the fixtures of the event where the HPCA Stadium was scheduled to host all the first round Group A matches and a single Super 10 Group 2 match. Originally the marquee India v Pakistan match was scheduled to be hosted by this venue. Due to security concerns for the Pakistani team, the match was moved to Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

2023 ICC World Cup

ICC allocated 5 matches to the stadium, including New Zealand v India. However the Stadium was accused of bad outfield and players played with potential risk of being injured.

Records and statistics

List of centuries

Tests

ODIs

T20Is

List of five wicket hauls

Tests

References

References

1. "ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 - Media Guide". ICC.
2. "Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium - Cricket Ground in Dharamsala, India". ESPNcricinfo.
3. (2023-10-22). "India vs New Zealand: 'Poor' Dharamsala outfield back in focus as Indian players avoid diving". The Times of India.
4. (2012-04-15). "Army, Himachal govt head for confrontation over Annandale ground".
5. "Dharamshala to be ready for IPL by April". ESPNcricinfo.
6. (24 March 2017). "Dharamsala decider promises more surprises". ESPNcricinfo.
7. Arun Venugopal. "BCCI revamps selection committee, announces new Test centres". ESPNcricinfo.
8. (2023-03-12). "IPL Records HPCA Stadium".
9. "ACC sets up Centre of Excellence in Dharamsala". ESPNcricinfo.
10. (21 July 2015). "Eden Gardens to host 2016 World T20 final". ESPNcricinfo.
11. "Fixtures for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016". ICC Cricket.
12. (11 December 2015). "Dharamsala to host World T20 India-Pakistan". ESPNcricinfo.
13. Gollapudi, Nagraj. (1 March 2016). "Political tussle clouds India-Pakistan World T20 match". ESPNcricinfo.
14. (9 March 2016). "India-Pakistan game moved to Kolkata". ESPNcricinfo.
15. "Match schedule announced for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023".
16. "4th Test: India v Australia at Dharamsala, 25-29 March, 2017. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
17. "5th Test, Dharamsala, March 7-11, 2024, England tour of India". ESPNcricinfo.
18. "5th ODI: India v England at Dharamsala, Jan 27, 2013. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
19. "4th ODI: India v West Indies at Dharamsala, Oct 17, 2014. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
20. "7th Match, Dharamsala, October 10, 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
21. "21st Match, Dharamsala, October 22, 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo.
22. "1st T20I (N), South Africa tour of India at Dharamsala, Oct 2 2015". ESPNcricinfo.
23. "12th Match, First Round Group A (N), World T20 at Dharamsala, Mar 13 2016". ESPNcricinfo.