At the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s stadium at Gahunje, excitement is high as Pune prepares to host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time in 27 years.
The match between India and Bangladesh on October 19 will mark the first-ever World Cup match involving India to be played at a stadium in Pune. 
Four more games will follow: Afghanistan vs. Sri Lanka on October 30, New Zealand vs. South Africa on November 1, England vs. the Netherlands on November 8, and Australia vs. Bangladesh on November 12.
“This is a massive event, even though we’ve hosted 60 significant events, including the IPL. Ajinkya Joshi, Chief Operating Officer, MCA, stated, “We are quite excited.
For the first time since it opened in April 2012, the stadium is getting a facelift in readiness for the games. “The Gahunje stadium is kept up well. We are, however, modernizing the stadium for the first time in the previous 11 years because this is an international event. According to Joshi, the landscaping is being improved while a new cover shed is erected and the entire stadium is getting a fresh coat of paint. He claimed that the project is being worked on by roughly 120 people and will be completed on schedule.
“The ICC and BCCI officials paid a two-day inspection visit on Wednesday and Thursday to check the progress, and they are satisfied,” stated Joshi.
Approximately 20 hectares of land have been rented from villages to supplement the stadium’s own parking space, he claimed, in order to prevent any traffic congestion outside the stadium. “Service roads will be repaired before the matches to avoid any inconvenience to visitors,” he continued.
According to MCA Secretary Shubhendra Bhandarkar, ticket sales have already started, and there is understandably a high demand for them. “The tickets started selling as soon as the bookings began. Our seating capacity is 42,000, but because of the ICC’s tougher seating regulations, it might only be 32,000, according to Bhandarkar.
Since the sand-based area has excellent drainage, the MCA authorities are optimistic about the events’ performance and claim that rain won’t be a major hindrance.
“Even if it rains, the play can start again 30 minutes later. The ground dries out quite fast, according to Bhandarkar.
According to MCA representatives, the organization’s honorary president, Rohit Pawar, worked incredibly hard to get the matches for the stadium.
The city will host five World Cup games as a result of MCA Honorary President Rohit Pawar’s efforts, according to Bhandarkar.
A trophy procession from the Marriot Hotel on Senapati Bapat Road to the College of Agriculture, in which cricket stars from around the world would take part, is another idea MCA has for cricket fans. On September 26, a World Cup trophy will also be on display at the College of Agriculture for cricket fans.
The ICC World Cup 2023 trophy will be carried in Pune in front of international Indian players, MCA officials, members of the Indian team, and leaders of the Maharashtra Cricket Team, among other participants, according to MCA President Rohit Pawar. The trophy will subsequently be displayed for onlookers at the Shivajinagar Agriculture College grounds.
