Centre of Excellence, Cricket Academy to come up at Mulapadu

Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) president and Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, known as Chinni, has announced that the ACA is set to establish a Centre of Excellence and a Cricket Academy at the ACA Cricket Stadium in Mulapadu, Ibrahimpatnam, in NTR district. The academy is expected to be inaugurated within a year, with designs currently in development.
During a visit to the Dr Gokaraju Laila Gangaraju ACA Cricket Stadium in Mulapadu, Sivanath, along with ACA treasurer Dandamudi Srinivas, inspected the stadium’s facilities, including two cricket playfields, players’ dressing rooms, swimming pool and floor rooms. They provided guidance to ACA staff on maintaining these facilities.
Sivanath said that the second cricket pitch at the stadium will be ready within a month. He noted the unique advantage of the Amaravati region, which boasts three international-standard stadiums—one in Mangalagiri and two in Mulapadu—all of which are set to be fully operational within a year.
Additionally, Chinni emphasised the ACA’s commitment to identifying rural cricket talent, which has already led to selections in major leagues like the IPL and APL. Plans are underway to construct cricket grounds across all 175 Assembly constituencies that currently lack such facilities. This initiative aims to develop Centres of Excellence and Cricket Academies across Andhra Pradesh, making ACA the first cricket body in India to implement such a widespread development programme.
ACA Admin Manager G Srinivasa Rao, Krishna District Cricket Association (KDCA) Secretary M Ravindra Chowdary, Joint Secretary Rajanikanth, and other officials were also present during the visit