New Delhi | The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) on Monday laid the foundation stone for indoor cricket training academies in six North-Eastern states, with the sole emphasis on helping budding cricketers from the region.

The indoor cricket academies will serve players from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim and will be based in Shillong, Itanagar, Kohima, Aizawl, Imphal and Gangtok.

"Honoured to have laid the foundation stone for BCCI's upcoming state-of-the-art indoor training facilities in the North-East," Shah wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Earlier, cricketers from these states were required to travel to centres in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai or Ahmedabad for training during the monsoon season. The BCCI had also created North-East Cricket Development Committee, which is being headed by Avishek Dalmiya, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

"Our cricketers from six states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim -- will soon benefit from world-class indoor nets, indoor swimming pools and fitness centres for year-round training options," Shah wrote.

"This, along with the launch of the new pavillion in Mizoram, are big steps towards our vision to enhance cricket infrastructure in the region, exciting times ahead," he added.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is already in the process of developing a new National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru with expanded area and facilities.