New Delhi/Shillong, 27 April (H.S.): The Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) will formally inaugurate its Indoor Cricket Academy at Kurkalang on April 28, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the event virtually from Sikkim. The ceremony is also part of a broader plan to significantly expand indoor stadiums across six northeastern states, marking a coordinated push to strengthen the region’s sports infrastructure.

MCA president James P. K. Sangma has invited members, affiliates and associates to attend the inauguration ceremony at the Kurkalang facility, describing it as a landmark moment for cricket in Meghalaya and the wider Northeast. He called it a matter of great honour that the Prime Minister himself is inaugurating the Indoor Cricket Academy, saying the event will have a collective impact on the growth of cricket in the region.

The project had been held up for several months under the previous administration, but the state government, under Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, fast‑tracked the remaining work. The MCA president said he had personally requested the Chief Minister’s intervention to expedite the completion of the academy and expressed gratitude that, thanks to this intervention, the facility is now fully ready for inauguration and use.

One of the last major hurdles was securing electricity supply to the centre. The Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) provided power connectivity within only 12 days, allowing final preparations to be completed on time.

The academy has been developed with the support of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is expected to provide modern, weather‑protected indoor training facilities for year‑round practice and athlete development across Meghalaya. The MCA has already begun discussions with internal committees, including a cricket advisory sub‑committee composed of senior former players, to design structured training programmes, camps and talent‑identification activities for players of the state.

By offering a state‑of‑the‑art indoor environment, the Kurkalang Indoor Cricket Academy is projected to significantly strengthen cricket infrastructure in Meghalaya and help nurture the next generation of cricketers in the Northeast.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar