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Brabourne Stadium, one of the oldest cricket stadium in the Mumbai.
Sports in Mumbai:Cricket is the most popular sport in the city (and the country). Due to the short supply of cricket grounds relative to the number of cricket playing people, modified versions of cricket (generally referred to as a whole as galli cricket) with varying rules are played everywhere: parking lots, gardens and streets. Mumbai is home to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Mumbai cricket team represents Mumbai city in the Ranji Trophy, India's domestic cricketing circuit, and is one of the most successful teams. The city is also represented by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, and by the Mumbai Champs in the Indian Cricket League. The city has two international cricket stadiums, the Wankhede Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium. The Wankhede stadium is set to host the final of 2011 Cricket World Cup and is currently undergoing expansion and renovation and preparation for the aforementioned event. Eminent cricketers from Mumbai include Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.Football (Soccer) is one of the other popular sports in the city, with the FIFA World Cup being one of the widely watched television events in Mumbai. In the I-League, Mumbai is represented by 3 teams, the Mumbai FC, Mahindra United and Air-India. Popularity of field hockey has gone into decline, losing out to cricket. Mumbai is home to the Maratha Warriors, one of the few teams competing for the Premier Hockey League (PHL) from Maharashtra. Chess is also a very popular indoor sport played in Mumbai. Other fairly common sports played in Mumbai are tennis, squash, billiards, badminton, table tennis and golf. Mumbai also plays Rugby union, one of the few Indian cities to do so. Every February, Mumbai holds the Derby races in the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Interest in Formula 1 racing has been on the rise in recent years, and in 2008, the Force India F1 team car was unveiled in Mumbai. In March 2004, the Mumbai Grand Prix was held as part of the F1 powerboat world championship. Sports like volleyball and basketball are popular in schools and colleges. In 2004, the Mumbai Marathon, an annual marathon event, was established in a bid to bring the sport to the Indian public. Since 2006, Mumbai has also played host to the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open, an International Series tournament of the ATP Tour. Mcdowell's Derby is held in February at the Turf club in Mumbai. |
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