Cricket stadium renamed ahead of IPL matches

 Visakhapatnam: Ata time when Visakhapatnam is gearing up to host two Indian Premier League matches scheduled on March 24 and 30 in Visakhapatnam, the stadium’s change of name catches the attention.

Ahead of the two matches of the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise in the Indian Premier League 2025 wherein one match is slated against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 24th, while the other is against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), removal of ‘Dr.YSR’ from the Dr. YSR Andhra Cricket Association Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (ADA VDCA) Cricket Stadium led to serious discussions among various sections.

The revamping of the stadium has been in progress for the past few weeks. In order to provide an improved experience for players and spectators, the ACA has undertaken significant renovation works at the stadium. They include seating arrangements, enhanced elevator access, dedicated stairways, 34 exclusive VIP boxes, a premium corporate box meeting with international standards, a revamped exterior, new LED floodlights, improved sanitation facilities and modernised player dressing rooms.

Along with them, the name of the stadium also went through a fresh coat of paint. However, in the process, the Dr YSR prefix of the stadium name got erased from the name.

During the YSRCP’s tenure, a number of institutions and organisations went through a renaming spree. A majority of them had a prefix of either ‘YSR’ or ‘Jagananna’ or YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s image over it. This drew controversial debates among the masses. Even as the NDA government refrains from committing the same mistake, it did take a cautious step to drop ‘Dr YSR’ from the Visakhapatnam stadium’s name.

Opposing the move, the YSRCP leaders called out for a protest on Thursday. They pointed out that the NDA government may drop the YSR name from the stadium but could not wipe out people’s love for him from their hearts.

However, there is no official announcement on the stadium’s name change from the Andhra Cricket Association so far.