The lush greens of the Birsa Munda Cricket Stadium in Chaibasa, the district headquarters of West Singhbhum, will witness an assembly of former cricketers who will get an opportunity to mingle and share old memories.

The inaugural Veteran Cup Cricket, a 20-over affair, is a platform being provided to former cricketers by the West Singhbhum District Cricket Association (WSDCA) to turn their arms and try and whack the cricket ball.

Preparations are complete for the day-long tournament which unfolds on March 21. T-shirts of separate colours will be handed over to the players of two respective A and B teams, said WSDCA secretary Assem Kumar Singh.

"We wanted to provide a platform to former cricketers of West Singhbhum district to meet each other and share old memories. The players are mostly from Chaibasa while some are from Chakradharpur, Kiriburu and elsewhere. We have made elaborate arrangements to efficiently conduct the tournament," Singh, who will also be part of the event, said over the phone from Chaibasa, adding that the event would henceforth be an annual affair.

The organisers have also arranged for breakfast and a sumptuous lunch for the participating players, umpires and officials.

The Birsa Munda Cricket Stadium has been hosting junior BCCI tournaments and training camps for some years. The stadium has dressing rooms as well as a gallery from where spectators can watch matches.

The district cricket association has ambitious plans to turn the stadium into a Ranji Trophy venue, with the main obstacle being the size of the stadium. The administration is not able to fulfill the minimum requirement even after BCCI's encouragement for smaller towns. A Ranji venue requires a minimum area of 140 yards, but towns with 120-130 yards are being allowed to host senior matches. After the extention, the Chaibasa venue will be of 130 yards.

The WSDCA has sought vacant land on either side of the stadium. While a football ground is located on one side, the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation depot lies on the other.

Accommodation, a key element for any Ranji Trophy venue, will be taken care of with some local hoteliers promising to spruce up their properties to meet the standard.

The cricket association has already requested the district administration to provide land to increase the area of the stadium to meet the basic criterion for hosting Ranji matches.