Dharamshala Cricket Stadium
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA Stadium) or the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium (DCS) is one of the most beautiful cricket stadiums in the world of cricket arena. It is located in Dharamshala and was set up in the year 2003. The Dharamshala Cricket Stadium has the capability of hosting day-night matches. Flood lights were installed in June 2009 for this purpose. Set in the backdrop of snow covered mountains and a lush green outfield, it is the home of the Indian Premier League team The Kings X1 Punjab. One of the most inimitable characteristics of this stadium is the fact that it located about 1500 meters above the sea level. For this reason, it is the highest stadium in India. The HPCA Stadium is one among 17 stadiums chosen by the Indian Cricket Board to host domestic and international matches.
The stadium hosts a number of Ranji Trophy games every year. The first international team to visit this stadium was Pakistan, which played a tour match with the Board President’s XI in the year 2005. The stadium has the capacity to hold over 20000 people and boasts of its state of the art facilities. It has separate practice areas, a rehabilitation center with all modern facilities, a lounge, restaurant and a banquet hall. Photos of a number of cricketing legends are hung on the walls of the lounge giving it a historic touch. Dav Whatmore, when he was the Director of the Indian National Cricket Academy, recommended this ground for hosting international cricket matches in the future. River End and College End are the two ends of the stadium.
Most recently, an IPL match featuring the Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab was hosted in this stadium. The most significant attribute of this game was the fact that it was played in the presence of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. The other IPL team that has played at this stadium is the Deccan Chargers. A prominent sight from the Dharamshala Cricket stadium is the Government College of Dharamshala. This college was built during the British period and hence has a lot of significance.
Dharamshala being a cool place most part during the year, the stadium is an innate choice for cricket camps during the summer. The ground makes use of winter rye grass for the outfield, which prevents the grass from wilting or dying when the temperatures fall drastically during the winter. Though the stadium has a capacity of over 20000, the stands are pretty small. This allows the winds to sweep in across the ground providing assistance for the bowlers to swing the ball in the air.
The Dharamshala Cricket Stadium however has one big disadvantage. Since there is high possibility of snow and heavy rains during the winter and autumn, possibility of matches happening during these periods is very nominal. The other difficulty the players would face is the mountainous terrain that leads to the stadium. However, the stadium has made a mark and is all set for a lot of thrilling games.