The year 2025 was full of unexpected surprises for cricket enthusiasts in North Andhra, particularly in Visakhapatnam. It was during Sankranthi this year, the newly-appointed body of the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) announced that the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals had expressed interest in making Vizag their official second home.
Visakhapatnam : Andhra Pradesh : 08/10/2025 : Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur bats during the practice session ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 ODI cricket match between India and South Africa, at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, October 08, 2025. Photo K.R Deepak / The Hindu
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
Determined not to miss the opportunity, the ACA has begun renovating the two-decade old Dr YSR ACA VDCA stadium with a budget of ₹40 crore, giving it a brand new look. The results were immediate and impressive. Visakhapatnam was awarded two IPL matches featuring the Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Supergiants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, giving local fans a chance to witness cricketing stars like Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant in action on home ground.
India’s Jemimah Rodrigues bats during the practice session during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
The electrifying matches and top-tier facilities drew the attention of top cricketing dignitaries, including ICC Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI officials, and other stalwarts of the sport. Riding on the success of this hosting, Vizag earned the opportunity of being named one of the five host cities for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
“It is an honour to be one of the five hosts of the world cup. The support from ICC Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI officials was unwavering. All arrangements were put in place for the prestigious tournament. We have created best facilities for the players,” says ACA Secretary, Sana Satish.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur taking catches during the practice session during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
Though Visakhapatnam has never hosted a Women’s World Cup match before, it did host a Men’s ICC World Cup match between Australia and Kenya in 1996, in which Australia defeated Kenya by 97 runs. The last Women’s World Cup match hosted in undivided Andhra Pradesh was in 1997 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, between England and Pakistan, in which England defeated Pakistan by 230 runs.
South Africa’s Anneke Bosch bats during the practice session for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
So, after 29 years, Visakhapatnam has been given the opportunity to host five matches of the tournament, which include two matches of Team India. India played South Africa on October 9, followed by a marquee match against Australia on October 12. The remaining three matches are South Africa vs Bangladesh on October 13, Australia vs Bangladesh on October 16 and England vs New Zealand on October 26. Apart from the match between England and New Zealand, the remaining matches are Day & Night.
Meeting their favourites
The World Cup fever actually began during August in the city, when the Indian Women’s Cricket Team arrived for a week-long training camp at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium. Fans used to gather in large numbers outside the team’s hotel in Rushikonda each day, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite players and take photos as they headed to practice. Adding to the buzz, IT Minister Nara Lokesh participated in a friendly interaction with the cricketers that was warmly received by the public.
The momentum continued with the World Cup Trophy Tour organised by the BCCI, which saw the trophy displayed at prominent tourist spots across the city, including RK Beach, Kailasagiri, and Rushikonda. Cricket fans thronged these locations for a chance to see the trophy up close and take selfies with it, many witnessing it for the first time.
South Africa’s Anneke Bosch bats during the practice session for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
Under the leadership of ACA President Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) and Secretary Sana Satish, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has left no stone unturned in preparing the venue. Welcome boards have been installed at the stadium, and groundsmen are working diligently to give the pitch and outfield final touches. The match on October 9 marked the first-ever World Cup fixture at the stadium under its newly installed LED floodlights.
In a special initiative by the ACA and the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA), girl students from various schools and colleges across the city were invited to witness the historic match live. As an added honour, several of them will also get the opportunity to be present with the players during the national anthems. To ensure the tickets are available at affordable prices, the ACA has fixed a starting price of ₹100 for all the matches, while it is ₹150 for the marquee match between India and Australia on October 12.
“We never had a chance to witness a World Cup match live, so this is a huge opportunity. It is not just about watching India, we will also get to see top international teams like Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, and South Africa,” says P Ashwini, a student and cricket fan from Gayatri College for Women. She adds that she is especially excited to see Indian stars Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues in action.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the practice session of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R DEEPAK
V Amulya, a B Tech student from Dr L Bullayya College, shars her enthusiasm for one match in particular. “I am excited for the India vs Australia game. India and Australia never disappoint, especially in World Cup clashes. The recent series between them was intense, but India lost the decider, but now it’s time for a strong comeback”
Ahead of the marquee match between India-Australia, the ACA will inaugurate the Mithali Raj Stand and the Raavi Kalpana stand at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket stadium on October 12. This is said to be the marking a first-of-its-kind tribute to women cricketers at the stadium.
The decision was taken after Indian Vice Captain Smriti Mandhana highlighted the absence of stadium stands named after leading Indian women cricketers, and expressed that renaming stands based on women cricketers would honour their contribution, apart from inspiring the next generation of women to enter cricket as a profession. Acting on Mandhana’s appeal, Nara Lokesh immediately consulted the ACA, leading to a prompt resolution to honour women’s cricket icons by naming stands after them at the Vizag venue.
“It will be another feather in the cap for the Vizag. During 2016, Vizag hosted an ODI between India and New Zealand, where Indian players including the then captain MS Dhoni and stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma wore jerseys bearing their mothers’ names, paying tribute to the role of mothers in their lives,” says a senior official from the ACA, adding: “Now, with stadium stands being named after women cricketers, Vizag will once again create a lasting memory,”
Published – October 10, 2025 08:40 am IST
