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Cricket is the
most popular sport in the city, and is usually played in
the
maidans
(grounds) around the city.
Gully cricket,
a modified form of cricket, is played in the narrow
by-lanes of the city. Mumbai is home to the
Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI).
International cricket is widely watched, and the city
comes to a virtual standstill on days when the
Indian cricket team
plays important matches. The local
Mumbai cricket team
is among the strongest competitors and the most successful
team in the
Ranji Trophy,
the nation's top domestic cricketing circuit. The city is
represented by
Mumbai Indians
in the
Indian Premier League,
and by
Mumbai Champs
in the
Indian Cricket League.
The city has two international cricket stadiums, the
Wankhede Stadium
and the
Brabourne Stadium.
The Wankhede stadium is set to host the final of
2011 Cricket World Cup.
Eminent cricketers from Mumbai include
Sachin Tendulkar,
Sunil Gavaskar
and
Vijay Hazare.
Football is the second most popular sport with the
city. The
Football World Cup
is one of the most widely watched television events in
Mumbai. The
Mumbai FC (Mumbai Football
Club) is one of
the renowned Indian football clubs based in Mumbai.
India's national sport,
field hockey,
has gone into decline in the recent years, losing out in
terms of popularity to cricket. Mumbai is home to the
Maratha Warriors,
one of the few teams competing for the
Premier Hockey League (PHL)
from
Maharashtra.
Chess
is also a very popular indoor sport played in Mumbai.
Other sports are mostly played in the numerous clubs and
gymkhanas,
and include
tennis,
squash,
billiards,
badminton,
table tennis
and
golf.
Mumbai also plays
Rugby union,
one of the few Indian cities to do so. Every February,
Mumbai holds the
Derby
races in the
Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
In recent times
Formula 1
racing has also caught on. The
Force India
team of
Formula One
has also unveiled its 2008 car in Mumbai. In March 2004,
Mumbai Grand Prix was held as part of the
F1 powerboat world
championship.
Other sports such as
volleyball
and
basketball
are mostly popular in schools and colleges.
In 2004, the
Mumbai Marathon,
an annual marathon event, was established in a bid to
bring the sport to the Indian public. Since 2006, Mumbai
has also played host to the
Kingfisher Airlines Tennis
Open, an
International Series
tournament of the
ATP Tour.
Mcdowell's
Derby
is held in February at the
Turf club
in Mumbai
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