The world’s highest cricket stadium is to be constructed in Sissu in the Lahaul Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It will stand 10,000 feet above sea level next to the newly constructed Atal tunnel.
Presently, the world’s highest cricket stadium is the HPLC stadium in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.
As per reports, the formalities such as land transfer and and other related paperwork are at its final stage. The location and the design of the stadium has been finalized. The stadium will have the capacity to hold 10,000 spectators and unlike the other stadiums, it is fully tribal funded.
The Lahaul-Spiti Cricket Association (LSCA) is at work since 2013, while the forest department had demarcated the 38-bigha site and now the file will go for FCA clearance.
LSCA President Surender Thakur said that as soon as they receive a letter of intent from the government, they will proceed with the construction.
The local population including the panchayats, local administration and the residents anticipate eagerly to host cricket matches soon.
Thakur says, “A few days ago, association general secretary Tenzin Karpa, joint secretary Sanjay Yarpa, members Ashok Bata and Virender Thakur, and I went to cabinet minister Ram Lal Markanda, who is keen to be involved in the project.”
Chail, developed by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in the Shimla district in 1893, is the world’s highest cricket pitch at 8,000 feet above sea level whereas Dharamshala has the highest international cricket ground at 4,780 feet and was built in 2003.
The new cricket ground will be located 7 kilometres from the newly constructed Atal Tunnel, which has turned Sissu into a hotspot for tourists.
When asked about the impact of high temperature and the possibility of rain during the matches, the LSCA President said, “The Sissu ground will remain shut in winter after the first snowfall. Between May and October, when Sissu’s temperate stays between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, will be a pleasant season for cricket. Being almost a rain-shadow area, Lahaul can be ideal venue.”
This stadium will eventually help in boosting the tourism of the state and this remarkable infrastructural milestone will draw global appraisals.
