The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) as part of its ongoing series of spectacular events to mark the 50 years of the Wankhede Stadium with another momentous chapter in its remarkable history by becoming the new Guinness World Records title holder on Thursday, 23rd January, 2025.

The landmark milestone was achieved for creating the ‘Largest Cricket Ball Sentence’, with the help of 14,505 red and white varieties of the ball while forming  the sentence – ‘Fifty Years of Wankhede Stadium’ in Mumbai. Touted as one of the iconic venues in India, the same which has been the home to some of the greatest Indian cricketers over the decades and also when the cricketing powerhouse became the first host nation to win the ICC ODI World Cup title in 2011 under MS Dhoni, its second overall.

The record was created in the presence of the MCA President. Ajinkya Naik alongside the office-bearers and Apex Council Members as a special tribute on the anniversary of the stadium hoisting its  first-ever international match way back in 1975, when India faced West Indies in a memorable Test match from 23 to 29, January.

MCA on its part dedicated this record to the late Eknath Solkar, who scored a century in that match, and former players from Mumbai who made exceptional contributions to the sport, before they left for heavenly abode.

Ajinkya Naik while highlighting MCA’s relentless commitment to excellence, said, “Mumbai cricket has contributed significantly to the sport and it holds a special place in cricket’s history. The city has produced some of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen. Wankhede Stadium is the pride of Mumbai and has witnessed countless historic moments. This Guinness World Records title is a reflection of Mumbai cricket’s passion, legacy and relentless pursuit of excellence. It’s also a special tribute to all the players, officials and unsung heroes who have contributed to Mumbai’s cricketing legacy. ”

Earlier, the MCA hosted a series of special activities over the past ten days to mark the stadium’s 50 anniversary.  These included the felicitation of former and current captains of Mumbai’s Men’s and Women’s teams across generations including the likes of Lalchand Rajput, Chandrakant Pandit, Sanjay Manjrekar, Raju Kulkarni, Wasim Jaffer,  Amol Muzumdar, Vinod Kambli, Paras Mhambrey, Nilesh Kulkarni, Sairaj Bahutule, Prithvi Shaw, Siddesh Lad, Shobha Pandit, Arundhati Ghosh, Mugha Joshi, Sheral Rozario, Prakashika Naik , Hummaria Kaazi among others who all contributed to the rich legacy of Mumbai cricket. The felicitation ceremony took place in the presence of the MCA President Ajinkya Naik along with MCA Vice President Sanjay Naik, Secretary Abhay Hadap, Treasurer Arman Mallick, Jt Secretary Deepak Patil and former President  Vijay Patil.

MCA later also felicitate over 150 groundsmen of various MCA’s clubs and grounds and also organised Polly Umrigar Health Camp and special lunch for them followed by felicitation of former Elected Managing Committee members, the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai along with the living members of the Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) team which played the inaugural  first-class match Baroda  at the Wankhede Stadium held between 17 – 19, November in 1974 under the leadership of Sunil Gavaskar. Among them, who graced the function included Karsan Ghavri, Ajit Pai, Padmalkar Shivalkar, Milind Rege and  Abdul Ismail.  

The grand musical spectacle, which was held early this week, saw the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar,  Diana Edulji, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane who also have lead the Indian team with élan’ in addition to the Mumbai team in front of a packed stadium.  The cricketing legends shared their personal experience about playing at the Wankhede Stadium and later celebrated the 75 Birth anniversary of the little master Gavaskar who was arguably the best ever opening batsman of his time. Former ICC, BCCI and MCA President Sharad Pawar unveiled a special postal stamp celebrating 50 glorious years of this iconic venue and the launch of a special coffee table book  , capturing the essence of Wankhede’s rich legacy.  The gathering also got a peek view of the glittering Champions Trophy ahead of the much awaited ICC 50-over event slated to be held next month. Current Indian skipper Rohit was hopeful of his team’s good show in this marquee tourney that would give India’s die hard 149 crore cricket fans another reason to rejoice and celebrate, like the one when MS Dhoni’s men won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007,  and later that in 2023 under his leadership that capped in a victory parade in front of a sea of people that ended at the Wankhede.

The memorable night also witnessed mesmerizing performances by renowned singers Ajay-Atul and Avadhoot Gupte followed by a breath-taking laser show.