Rangpo (Sikkim) [India], April 23 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia on Thursday visited the newly constructed indoor cricket academy at the Sikkim Cricket Ground in Mining, Rangpo.

The newly constructed cricket facility has been built at a cost of Rs 23 crore by the BCCI. The state-of-the-art facility will be inaugurated on April 28 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Gangtok, alongside several other infrastructure projects.

The indoor academy, developed within the premises of the Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA) ground, includes modern amenities such as net practice facilities, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and other essential infrastructure aimed at boosting cricket training standards in the region.

Saikia highlighted that until 2019, only Assam and Manipur from the Northeast had permanent membership in the BCCI, while six other states did not. However, all northeastern states have since been granted permanent membership, paving the way for significant infrastructure development.

He stated that the BCCI is actively working to bring these states on par with older, established members by promoting and supporting cricket development.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to Sikkim, Saikia said the project, initiated in 2022, has been completed and will now be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that the facilities in Rangpo, Sikkim, along with similar infrastructure in five other Northeastern states, will be inaugurated as part of a single event.

'The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Sikkim on April 28. On that day, the indoor cricket facilities in Sikkim, which we started in 2022, are completed and ready for inauguration. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the facilities in Rangpo as well as in five other Northeastern states. From Gangtok, all six facilities will be inaugurated, which will give a new impetus to the entire Northeastern cricket scene,' Saikia said.

The BCCI secretary further added that he was impressed with the cricket facilities and infrastructure.

'I have visited Sikkim for infrastructure work six or seven times before, but I had never come to see the cricket infrastructure specifically. Today, I am pleasantly surprised to see such excellent facilities. The cricket ground that the Sikkim Cricket Association has built here is very beautiful. It features an international-standard cricket pitch and outfield, all set in lovely surroundings. These facilities are outstanding, and the Sikkim Cricket Association has done a lot of work for the development of cricket here,' he said.

Saikia further said that the indoor cricket infrastructure initiative in the Northeastern states was launched in 2022 under the leadership of then BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, keeping in mind the region's long monsoon season.

'Furthermore, when Jay Shah was the BCCI Secretary in 2022, he initiated a project for the development of cricket in the Northeast. This project aimed to provide indoor cricket facilities in every state that had recently received membership, as it rains heavily here for six to seven months of the year. The objective was to ensure that cricketers wouldn't face any difficulties in their practice. Under Jay Shah's leadership, the BCCI began this project in 2022, and it is now complete,' Saikia told reporters. (ANI)