Kochi: The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has written to the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) to allot the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor to conduct international cricket matches in the future. The move comes in the wake of Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters Football Club expressing interest to make the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode its home ground in addition to the Nehru Stadium, which is owned by the GCDA.
The Nehru Stadium has not hosted any international cricket match since 2014 when the ISL started. The India-West Indies one-dayer on October 8, 2014, was the last international cricket match to be held in Kochi.
The Greenfield International Stadium at Karyavattom in Thiruvananthapuram has been the first-choice cricket stadium in Kerala of late. The Greenfield Stadium has hosted two Twenty20 Internationals and an ODI in the past three years.
The KCA had taken the Nehru Stadium on lease for a period of 30 years. The KCA has spent almost Rs 11 crore on the stadium and also given Rs 1 crore to the GCDA as deposit amount.
KCA President Sajan Varghese and Secretary Sreejith V Nair said the aim was to conduct international matches in Kochi in a way which did not clash with the ISL matches. The KCA has also taken into account the difficulties faced by the cricket fans in north Kerala to travel all the way to to the capital.
Kerala Blasters management and Kozhikode Corporation officials are slated meet on Wednesday for further discussion on the proposed move.
