Hyderabad Cricket Association

ates the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, which hosts International level Test, ODI and T20 cricket matches. HCA's previous home ground was the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in the Fateh Maidan sports complex at Basheerbagh in central Hyderabad. The ground belonged to the Sports Authority of Telangana State, and HCA had limited operating autonomy there. Moreover, due to its small size, it was known as a high-scoring ground and so Hyderabad was not considered for many high-profile cricket matches in India. In 2003, the proposal for a new stadium was submitted by HCA to the government of Andhra Pradesh. The government identified a large piece of land suitable for the project at Uppal. By 2005, when most of the stadium was built, it was ready to host its first ODI Match between India and South Africa. The stadium was named in the memory of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.