One of the most talked about sporting facilities in India is situated right outside the metropolis of Mumbai, the DY Patil Stadium.
The ground has been voted as the sixth best cricket arena in the world by the Architects' Journal of Britain this year. Amongst the grounds the journal considered, the legendary Lord's in London won the top honour while the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was adjudged second-best.
The other three grounds that got better rankings than the 55,000-seater DY Patil Stadium, which hosted the final of the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League last year, were Newlands in Cape Town (South Africa), Kensington Oval in Barbados and the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
The venue could not host its first-ever and the seventh and last One-Day International between India and Australia in 2009-10 owing to heavy rain. The game was originally scheduled to be held at the Brabourne Stadium, but that venue was eventually picked to host the Test between India and Sri Lanka in December instead.
While the India vs. Australia game would have been the first international game played at the ground, the ground had already hosted a few games of the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) including the final. In fact, it was at this ground that Adam Gilchrist blasted the fastest century of IPL off just 42 balls against Mumbai Indians.
"A lot has changed since the IPL. We now have the cantilever roof which will provide the spectators with an unrestricted view of the match," says Vijay Patil, President, DY Patil Sports Academy.
A rare complaint that the teams raised during the IPL was concerning the practice pitches - the ones outside the stadium were different from the main square. Patil and his team have worked on this complaint and now, teams are free to use any of the ten pitches inside the main facility which also has a sand-based outfield.
During the construction process, Patil imported 250 tonnes of clay from South Africa and even hired the curator of Durban's Newlands to tend the pitch till late last year. The entire operation is now handled by Sports Director and former India pacer Abey Kuruvilla.
The facility, which took five years from 2002 to 2007 to be ready, also has tennis, badminton and squash courts apart from an Olympic-sized swimming pool along with residential accomodation. The stadium, designed by noted architect Hafeez Contractor, has also hosted a few football games and concerts.