Tamil Nadu’s Salem district will soon host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in a swanky new stadium. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Sunday, inaugurated a new cricket stadium in Thalaivasal in the presence of dignitaries from the cricketing fraternity.

As per reports, the stadium, located in Kariveppilapatti, was inaugurated in the presence of former India captain Rahul Dravid, former BCCI Chairman N Srinivasan, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) President Rupa Gurunath and other officials. The stadium, spread across 16 acres and with five pitches, was built at a cost of Rs 3 crore and will soon host IPL matches, the Chief Minister said.

Speaking at the event, N Srinivasan assured the chief minister that in 2020, Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) matches will be played in the new stadium. So far, TNPL matches have been hosted only in two stadiums apart from Chepauk -- Dindigul and Tirunelveli. “I am going to ask Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Stephen Fleming and others to come and see the ground here,” he said, amidst rousing cheers from the audience. He also said that they will bring IPL to the new stadium and added, “And MS Dhoni will lead CSK here. When you are chief minister this should happen.”

Responding to this, Edappadi Palaniswami assured that his government would provide all support needed to host IPL matches in the new stadium. “As far as I know, IPL matches have not been conducted in any place other than Chennai in Tamil Nadu. So, Salem would turn out to be the first city to host the matches outside the state capital. The state government would extend all support for it,’’ he said.