The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will move out of its headquarters in the Wankhede premises in South Mumbai. The shift has been necessitated as the BCCI has decided to go in for renovation of the Cricket Centre. It will vacate the building in about a week.
Till the completion of the upgradation, the BCCI has decided to hire workspaces in WeWork premises and will be functioning out of the co-working chambers in the Prabhadevi and Worli areas of the city. The renovation is expected to take about six months and the BCCI members are hoping to be back in the Cricket Centre by September-October.
Built in 2006, the four-storey building has three floors for the BCCI with the third floor taken by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), which has been coexisting with the parent body all these days. The MCA, however, is staying put and its officials say it has no immediate plans of undertaking renovation work.
After its inauguration in 2006, Ray Mali, the former president of International Cricket Council (ICC), had publicly expressed awe at the BCCI office and chambers inside. “We are amazed by the BCCI office and the chambers inside. We want to grow with the BCCI,” the late Mali had said at the Wankhede during a 2006 Champions Trophy public function while addressing Sharad Pawar, then president of BCCI, the richest body in the world of cricket. Pawar then joked that he will have to install jammers inside as the information is getting leaked.
Sixteen years on, the new team of office-bearers, led by Roger Binny and Jay Shah combine, has felt that the office will have to match its ever growing stature in world cricket. It has engaged a noted architect for the beautification project.
The fourth floor, currently housing the Indian Premier League (IPL) staff, will be totally left for the office-bearers in the upgraded structure. The floor, with a state-of-the-art interior, will also have a conference hall. The second and first floors will be left for the rest of the staff.
Shah, Shelar leave for South Africa
Meanwhile, Shah and BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar left for South Africa on Wednesday to watch the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team has reached the last-four stage and will take on Australia at the Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday. The final will be at the same ground on Sunday (February 26), after the second semifinal between England and South Africa on Friday.
