Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium (Visaka International Cricket Stadium Ground)

Formerly named after its contractors, Visaka Industries, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad was established in 2004. It is home to the Hyderabad Cricket Association and is operated from the Pavilion End and North End. The ground has a capacity of 55,000 and extends across 16 acres of land. HCA's previous home ground – the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium was owned by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, due to which the HCA had limited control over it and thus, the need to build their own stadium was felt. The name was changed from the old one to the present, in memory of former Indian PM, Rajiv Gandhi.

 

But, even before the ground could host its maiden first-class match, it was declared unfit to host a big game. The stadium has been surrounded by controversies, initially because of its name and later, due to its size. It soon came to be known as a high-scoring ground due to its smaller size and hence, it was considered inappropriate to host big matches. Later, changes took place and the ground became fully ready by 2008, with floodlights installed. It hosted the Deccan Chargers in the first edition of the IPL, but unfortunately for the team, they did not win a single game on their home ground until 2011.