Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (abbreviated as the HPCA Stadium) is an international cricket stadium in Dharamshala hill station of Himachal Pradesh, India.[2]

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Picturesque backdrop of the HPCA Stadium
Ground information
LocationDharamshala, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
Home clubHimachal Pradesh cricket team
Himachal Pradesh women's cricket team
Establishment2003
Capacity21,200[1]
OwnerHimachal Pradesh Cricket Association
OperatorHimachal Pradesh Cricket Association
TenantsIndian cricket team Punjab Kings
End names
River End
College End
International information
First Test25–29 March 2017:
 India v  Australia
Last Test7–9 March 2024:
 India v  England
First ODI27 January 2013:
 India v  England
Last ODI28 October 2023:
 New Zealand v  Australia
First T20I2 October 2015:
 India v  South Africa
Last T20I27 February 2022:
 India v  Sri Lanka
First WT20I22 March 2016:
 India v  England
Last WT20I24 March 2016:
 West Indies v  England
As of 9 March 2024
Source: [2]

The stadium is the home ground of Himachal Pradesh cricket team, Himachal Pradesh women's cricket team and headquarter of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, the governing body of cricket in Himachal Pradesh state.[3] It hosted 5 matches of 2023 Cricket World Cup, including New Zealand v India.[3]

Location and history edit

 
The snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the background

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.[4]

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.[citation needed]

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 in this ground was the Pakistani cricket team, when they played a warm-up match against an India A side in 2005.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

ACC Centre of Excellence edit

In December 2015, Asian Cricket Council decided to set up Centre of Excellence at Dharamshala.[8]

2016 ICC World Twenty20 edit

Panorama of the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala

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.[9] 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.[10] Originally the marquee India v Pakistan match was scheduled to be hosted by this venue.[11] Due to security concerns for the Pakistani team,[12] the match was moved to Eden Gardens, Kolkata.[13]

2023 ICC World Cup edit

ICC allocated 5 matches to the stadium, including New Zealand v India.[3]

Records and statistics edit

List of centuries edit

Test Centuries edit

No. Score Player Team Balls Inns. Opposing team Date Result
1 111 Steve Smith   Australia 173 1   India 25 March 2017 Lost[14]
2 103 Rohit Sharma   India 162 2   England 7 March 2024 Won[15]
3 110 Shubman Gill 150

One Day Internationals edit

No. Score Player Team Balls Inns. Opposing team Date Result
1 113* Ian Bell   England 143 2   India 27 January 2013 Won[16]
2 127 Virat Kohli   India 114 1   West Indies 17 October 2014 Won[17]
3 112 Marlon Samuels   West Indies 103 2   India 17 October 2024 Lost[17]
4 140 Dawid Malan   England 107 1   Bangladesh 10 October 2023 Won[18]
5 130 Daryl Mitchell   New Zealand 127 1   India 22 October 2023 Lost[19]

Twenty20 Internationals edit

No. Score Player Team Balls Inns. Opposing team Date Result
1 106 Rohit Sharma   India 66 1   South Africa 2 October 2015 Lost[20]
2 103* Tamim Iqbal   Bangladesh 63 1   Oman 13 March 2016 Won[21]

List of five wicket hauls edit

Tests edit

No. Bowler Date Team Opposing Team Inn O R W Result
1 Nathan Lyon 25 March 2017   Australia   India 2 34.1 92 5 Lost[14]
2 Kuldeep Yadav 7 March 2024   India   England 1 15 72 5 Won[15]
3 Shoaib Bashir   England   India 2 46.1 173 5 Lost[15]
4 Ravichandran Ashwin   India   England 3 14 77 5 Won[15]

References edit

  1. ^ "ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 - Media Guide" (PDF). ICC. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium - Cricket Ground in Dharamsala, India". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ^ a b c "Match schedule announced for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023". ICC Cricket. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Dharamshala to be ready for IPL by April". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Dharamsala decider promises more surprises". ESPNcricinfo. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  6. ^ Arun Venugopal. "BCCI revamps selection committee, announces new Test centres". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  7. ^ "IPL Records HPCA Stadium". T20 Head to Head. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  8. ^ "ACC sets up Centre of Excellence in Dharamsala". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Eden Gardens to host 2016 World T20 final". ESPNcricinfo. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Fixtures for the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016". ICC Cricket. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Dharamsala to host World T20 India-Pakistan". ESPNcricinfo. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  12. ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (1 March 2016). "Political tussle clouds India-Pakistan World T20 match". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  13. ^ "India-Pakistan game moved to Kolkata". ESPNcricinfo. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  14. ^ a b "4th Test: India v Australia at Dharamsala, 25-29 March, 2017. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  15. ^ a b c d "5th Test, Dharamsala, March 7-11, 2024, England tour of India". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  16. ^ "5th ODI: India v England at Dharamsala, Jan 27, 2013. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  17. ^ a b "4th ODI: India v West Indies at Dharamsala, Oct 17, 2014. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  18. ^ "7th Match, Dharamsala, October 10, 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  19. ^ "21st Match, Dharamsala, October 22, 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup. Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  20. ^ "1st T20I (N), South Africa tour of India at Dharamsala, Oct 2 2015". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  21. ^ "12th Match, First Round Group A (N), World T20 at Dharamsala, Mar 13 2016". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

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