Shikhar Dhawan launches cricket performance centre in Gwalior
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has launched a dedicated cricket High Performance Centre (HPC) in Gwalior under his sports venture “Da One Sports”, aiming to build a structured pathway for young cricketers from smaller cities.
Where and under what banner?
The centre, called the “Da One High Performance Centre”, is set up at the Aditya World Cricket Academy in Gwalior and is the first HPC under Dhawan’s Da One Sports, the performance‑and‑pathway arm of his Da One Group. The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) and the Bundelkhand Bulls franchise.
Key features of the centre
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Facilities: The campus includes turf and synthetic pitches, all‑weather training nets, strength‑and‑conditioning units, and dedicated recovery zones.
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Expertise and tech: The centre employs certified coaches, performance analysts, and sports‑science professionals, with tools such as video analysis and performance‑tracking software to monitor player development.
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Leadership: Former India wicketkeeper and national selector Saba Karim is the technical director, while Madan Sharma—Dhawan’s childhood coach—serves as mentor.
Objectives and future plans
Dhawan has stated that the centre is designed to create a systematic, long‑term development pipeline for young talent rather than sporadic or fragmented training, especially targeting players from Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities. The programme includes talent‑identification trials, grassroots intake, and a clear progression route toward competitive cricket, with admissions already open.
Da One Sports plans to scale this model to other cities across India, using the Gwalior HPC as a prototype for a nationwide network of high‑performance cricket academies.
