Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore has become the first cricket ground in the world to be fitted with a SubAir subsurface aeration and vacuum-powered drainage system.
The project at the Indian venue was overseen by the Karnataka State Cricket Association and cost around $625,000 (€600,000/£510,000).
Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has a capacity of 38,000, has hosted more than 20 Test matches and is home to the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL cricket team.
The technology will help to prevent water logging in the outfield during rain and, as the system is capable of draining water 36 times faster than normal standards, play will be able to resume sooner.
In addition, the system can pump in oxygen for aeration of grass roots to boost the quality of the playing surface, while an inbuilt sprinkler system will water the field of play throughout the year.
Anil Kumar, managing director of Great Sports Infra, the marketing arm of the SubAir USA, said: “The SubAir system automatically kicks into action the minute it starts raining, thereby not allowing any build-up of water on the outfield.
“Water begins to get sucked out at the rate of over 10,000 litres a minute from the moment it begins to rain. The suction system gets activated through signals from the remote sensors embedded in the field.”
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