Wankhede’s Divecha Pavilion renamed after cricket icon Rohit Sharma

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) successfully conducted its 86th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, reinforcing its commitment to the development and promotion of cricket in Mumbai.

One of the standout announcements from the meeting was the decision to name a pavilion at the iconic Wankhede Stadium after Indian cricketing legend and current all-format captain, Rohit Sharma. Recognized as one of the finest opening batters in international cricket, Sharma’s extraordinary career includes 19,700 runs in 499 matches, boasting an average of 42.18 with 49 centuries and 108 half-centuries. He holds the record for the highest individual score in One Day Internationals (264), and remains the only player with three ODI double hundreds.

The MCA acknowledged Rohit Sharma’s contribution to Indian cricket, including leading the national side to victories in both the ICC T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. The decision to dedicate the Divecha Pavilion Level 3 as the “Rohit Sharma Stand” was met with unanimous approval.

The AGM also approved the naming of other prominent stands within Wankhede Stadium. The Grand Stand Level 3 will now be known as the Shri Sharad Pawar Stand, and the Grand Stand Level 4 has been named the Ajit Wadekar Stand. The proposal was initially moved by Milind Narvekar and seconded by Jitendra Awhad, receiving full support from the house.

In a bid to bolster the grassroots cricketing infrastructure, the MCA announced a significant increase in the financial corpus for affiliated clubs. The fund has been elevated to ₹75 crore, with plans to scale it further to Rs 100 crore in the near future. According to an official release, this investment will aid in strengthening foundational cricket programs across the city.

The meeting also paid tribute to the late Amol Kale, former president of MCA, by renaming the match day office at the MCA Pavilion to “MCA Office Lounge – In Memory of Amol Kale”, honoring his contributions to Mumbai cricket.