“Wankhede is like the Lords of England, and the MCG of Australia.” These words by Gurmeet Singh, the co-owner of the SoBo SuperSonics, ring true when we talk about a stadium that has given every cricket fan from Mumbai as well as India a heap of memories.

From lifting the World Cup in 2011, to witnessing Sachin Tendulkar bow out of his international career to deafening chants of ‘Sachinnnn, Sachin’, the Wankhede Stadium has seen it all. So, to have the inaugural edition of the upcoming T20 Mumbai league hosted at the Wankhede is nothing short of iconic.

“There can’t be any better place than Wankhede to host this kind of a tournament because that is the place we won the World Cup in 2011. The emerging players are getting an opportunity to play there, and that is the best thing they can get,” asserted Rajdeep Gupta, owner of the North Mumbai Panthers.

Mirroring this exact sentiment, mentor of Mumbai North East Triumph Knights, Lalchand Rajput said, “It is a big thing for any Mumbai player to play at the Wankhede Stadium. Playing at the Wankhede under the lights is a different experience altogether.”

Goose bumps and icing on the cake

Established in 1974 by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), this historic venue has given many-a-fan the chills when they sit in the stands, cheering for their favourite teams – may it be any format of International cricket, or even the Indian Premier League.

Actor and co-owner of Shivaji Park Lions, Sharad Kapoor’s words only help build on this very fact.

“Wankhede is one of the best stadiums in the country, in fact one of the world. Being there is a different feeling altogether, and I am just getting goose bumps at the thought of it,” he opined, clearly excited to be present at the venue, encouraging his team.

“It is the icing on the cake. Wankhede is comparable to Lord’s in London. There is no doubt in our minds that this is going to be a good league,” claimed Niranjan Butra of NaMo Bandra Blasters.

“One of the biggest reasons why we wanted to participate, was because there is no better feeling than playing cricket in Mumbai at Wankhede, and we wanted to be a part of that,” concluded Quaiser Parvez, co-owner of ARCS Andheri.

Wankhede Stadium will witness the birth of T20 Mumbai as a mainstay on the local cricket scene on March 11, with the Final of the league to be played on March 21.