Horse Polo Returns After 100 Years To Venue That Hosted First Test On Indian Soil

Horse polo returns after 100 years to venue that hosted first Test on Indian soil (Image Source: IANS)

Bombay Gymkhana Arena Polo Championship: After a huge gap of 100 years, the royal sport of horse polo will return to the iconic Bombay Gymkhana, the prestigious venue in Mumbai which hosted the first cricket Test match played on Indian soil. The Bombay Gymkhana is set to once again host the Bombay Gymkhana Arena Polo Championship at its hallowed turf on Sunday, as the premier polo event is being revived at this iconic venue after almost a century.

"The Bombay Gymkhana Polo Challenge Cup" was founded in 1882 and the inaugural edition was won by the Central India Horse team, but it was brought back home to the Bombay Gymkhana in 1885 by the Gymkhana’s polo team.

Sanjiv Saran Mehra, President of Bombay Gymkhana, informed on Saturday, “As a precursor to the Bombay Gymkhana 150th year celebrations in 2025 we have plans to organise various sporting events, some new additions (like the Bombay Gymkhana 10K run which was held in March 2024 or reviving some sports events linked to our rich sporting heritage. In this connection, we are reviving ‘The Bombay Polo Challenge Cup’ founded in 1882.”

Two teams, comprising a mix of players from the Amateur Riders Club, Mumbai and the Artillery Corps, Nasik, will battle it out for supremacy under floodlights in an arena format on Sunday.

The Bombay Gymkhana, one of India’s most prestigious and premier clubs founded in 1875, boasts a rich heritage of sporting history and culture. The Gymkhana, which takes pride in having hosted the first cricket Test match in India in 1933, was also the home of Polo with the sport being hosted by Bombay Gymkhana and competitions being conducted until 1920 at this iconic venue.

The Bombay Gymkhana was also one of the venues when India hosted its first Hockey World Cup in 1982. It plays host to a couple of top squash, billiards and snooker and rugby events annually.