Brabourne
Stadium is a cricket ground owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI).
Located in the bustling city of Mumbai, the stadium had been the host of
the test matches from 1948 to 1972. Apart from the test matches, it made
the venue for the Bombay Pentangular matches too. Subsequent to the
argument between CCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in the
early 1970's, Brabourne Stadium didn't make the arena for international
matches.The stadium is to be found near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. It also comprises the headquarters of the BCCI, which is the governing body of Indian cricket. The coliseum happens to be on a piece of land that has been reclaimed from the sea. It was offered to the Cricket Club of India by Lord Brabourne, who was the Governor of Mumbai (or Bombay) in those times. He himself laid the foundation stone of the stadium on May 22, 1936.
On December 7, 1937, Brabourne Stadium was officially opened by Sir Lawrence Roger Lumley - the then Governor of Bombay. The stadium was named after Lord Brabourne, as recommended by the Maharaja of Patiala. Initially, the stadium was projected to have pavilion, tennis courts and a swimming pool, while providing sheltered accommodation for 35,000 spectators. In October 1937, the stadium, under construction, hosted its first match between CCI and the Spencer Cup XI.
During its peak period, Brabourne Stadium offered its grounds for at least seventeen test matches. Between 1938 and 1973, it saw sixteen finals that deserved Ranjit Trophy. The remarkable innings played at the coliseum are Denis Compton's 249 for Holkar in the finals of 1944-45 and Ajit Wadekar's triple century in 1966-67. Though the stadium has lost its patina, the faded grandeur still persists in the air.
Brabourne Stadium, once again, hosted the sporadic first-class match of 1997-98, where Sachin Tendulkar made the first double century of his career. The stadium is counted amongst the four grounds, which made the venue for 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. Almost after 11 years, the sports arena felt proud when the International Cricket revisited its ground in the sixth match of the qualifying round.