Dadar Union, which was once the premier cricket club in Mumbai, has received a shot in the arm with former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar taking over its reigns.
Vengsarkar, himself a product of Dadar Union, plans to renovate its existing structure and prepare more practice pitches there.
An inauguration ceremony was held on Friday and was attended by ex-Test players including Madhav Mantri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Chandrakant Pandit and Vengsarkar himself.
Vengsarkar said, “Dadar Union used to be a powerhouse in Mumbai cricket and would win everything. In the last decade, the club fell into some really bad times. Part of the ground was encroached upon and hutments appeared. These were then replaced by a building as they came under the SRA (Slum Redevelopment Authority) scheme. With the boundaries shortening, there could me no matches at the venue.
“It pained us former players to see the club in this state. I wanted to give back to the club. So, I asked Madhav Mantri the permission to rebuild the club.
“Now, with the help of donors, the club will be redeveloped and 12 to 15 practice pitches will be made. Right now, the club is in the C division of the Kanga League.”
Former captain of the club, Mantri said, “This club has had a tremendous contribution to Indian cricket. Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and a number of Ranji players started their careers at this club.
“What made Dadar Union special was that all these players always used to come back from their international assignments and represent the club in the local games.
“Playing with and against these players was always a good experience for the youngsters who were coming up.”
