The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association was formed with the objective of augmentation of game of Cricket in the state of Himachal, in the year 1960. However the Association was granted affiliation by the BCCI at a meeting held on 29th Sept 1984 at Taj Palace, New Delhi. Till the year 2000 the Association was considered to be minnows of Indian Cricket, it was only in July 2000 that the present set up headed by Mr. Anurag Thakur took over the reins of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and the Association caught the eye of many. The dawn of year 2000 suddenly threw up a hope, a sense of renewed vitality to catch up with the best in the North zone at least, if not in the entire country. A new body under young and dynamic President was installed in the office and all of a sudden we witness a flurry of activity all around us. Sky can be the limit for Himachal Cricket under his stewardship”. Anurag Singh Thakur elected as the fourth President of the HPCA on 2nd July 2000. Soon after he took over the association he expressed his concerns as to what still ailed the Himachal cricket. He expressed, “Why were Himachal players even after 15 years of affiliation to the BCCI regarded as babes in the wood and were treated with scant respect in the domestic circle. He realized that problems were manifold with the chief problem being lack of exposure, facilities, grounds and infrastructure.” The foremost agenda of the newly formed HPCA was to construct its own stadium having best of facilities, it was a daunting task but the young President accepted the challenge and the results can be seen. Apart from lack of infrastructure in the state the plight of players was also pathetic as such the association needed a paradigm shift in approach. The comparative briefs enunciated in the succeeding paragraphs will clearly show you the trends and momentum with which HPCA has accelerated, particularly in the last nine and a half years.
