Thane stadium gears up to host Kolkata Knight Riders' practice sessions

The Thane Municipal Corporation has swung into action to fix the Dadoji Kondev stadium for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to practise here for the upcoming IPL matches. The civic chief also this week allocated a budget for buying new equipment at the stadium.

The KKR team recently sought permission from TMC officials for using the stadium for its practice sessions during their visit from February 4 to 7 and later again in March. TMC commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal soon visited the stadium to oversee the progress of work, after which he sanctioned the budget for new equipment.

"We are trying to maintain the stadium in accordance with international standards. After verifying the ground quality of this stadium, the KKR team decided to practise here," said Jaiswal. A TMC official added that Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli's manager has also approached the civic body regarding the stadium.

Young and aspiring sportsmen from the city have welcomed the TMC's move. Sharan Das, a badminton player, said, "This stadium has many facilities. We are really happy that such accomplished players are coming to Thane for practice. The quality of sports and training equipment here has improved a lot in the last few years."

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