Lucknow: From being a venue for an India-Pakistan Test match in the early years of international cricket in the country to preparing to host North Zone Inter-University Men’s Cricket Tournament, Lucknow University’s cricketing legacy is set for another chapter.Now, more than seven decades later, the university is preparing to host North Zone Inter-University Men’s Cricket Tournament 2026-27, for which trials were held at LDA Stadium, Aliganj, on Wednesday.“The upcoming event also puts the spotlight back on LU’s cricketing heritage, with the university having been an important sporting venue in the city for decades. The University Ground in Lucknow hosted the second Test between India and Pakistan in Oct 1952. The four-day match, played from Oct 23 to 26, ended with Pakistan winning by an innings and 43 runs,” said Lucknow University Athletic Association secretary Ajay Kumar Arya.He said LU has been selected by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to host North Zone Inter-University Men’s Cricket Tournament 2026-27, marking the return of a national-level cricket event to the campus after nearly four decades. The university has also, for the first time, been awarded the hosting rights for All-India Inter-University Men’s Judo Championship 2026-27.Arya said the university had last hosted a national-level inter-university cricket tournament in the summer of 1984, when Vizzy Trophy, an annual inter-zonal university cricket tournament in India, co-organised by Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and funded by Board of Control for Cricket in India, was held there.“After a gap of almost 40 years, LU has once again been entrusted with hosting the North Zone Inter-University Men’s Cricket Tournament. We are fully prepared to organise the event,” he said.Arya further said the university now has the infrastructure required to host major sporting events. Recently, three modern cricket turf wickets were inaugurated at the historic Paranjape Pavilion Ground. The addition of three professional-grade turf pitches, along with practice nets, has upgraded the facility from matting wickets to standard professional playing conditions, offering a truer bounce and a match-ready surface.
