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Largest Cricket Stadium In The World
Until February 2020, The Melbourne Cricket ground (MCG) was known as the world’s largest cricket stadium. The MCG has the capacity of hosting 101,024 people and has a field size of 171m X 146m.
On the 24th of February 2020, US president trump inaugurated the largest stadium in the world in the state of Gujrat, India! Yes, the Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium is now the largest cricket stadium in the world with an audience capacity of 115,000. The cost of building the stadium is estimated at around INR 800 cr. And is spread across 66 acres of land. This stadium comprises a clubhouse that has over 50 rooms, 76 corporate boxes, 4 dressing rooms, 3 practice grounds, an indoor cricket academy, an Olympic size swimming pool, and a parking area that can accommodate 10,000 two-wheelers and 3000 four-wheelers. The stadium is the largest cricket stadium in the world and second-largest overall. It is owned by the Gujrat Cricket Association and can host Test, ODI, and T20I cricket matches.
Apart from cricket matches, this stadium has hosted various events organized by the Government of Gujarat. It has also hosted matches during 1987, 1996, and 2011 Cricket World Cups. To date, the stadium has hosted 12 Tests, 23 ODIs, and 1 T20 matches. The stadium was originally constructed in 1983 and was first renovated in 2006. It became the regular venue for international matches in the city of Ahmedabad. In 2015 the stadium was closed and demolished before being completely rebuilt by February 2020, with an increased capacity of hosting more than 110,000 people.
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History
The Sardar Patel cricket stadium was formerly known as the Motera Stadium, the ground was specifically renamed to give tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. International cricket matches in the city would take place at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's stadium by the same name (Sardar Patel Stadium) in the Navrangpura area before the Sardar Patel Stadium existed.
The Legacy started when in 1982, the Government of Gujarat donated a 100-acre (400,000 m2) piece of land on the banks of the Sabarmati River to build a new stadium in the state. The Sardar Patel Stadium was reconstructed and completed in nine months. Since then, all International cricket fixtures for the city are hosted here. The ground hosted its first ODI game during the 1984-85 Australia-India series, in which Australia eventually defeated India.
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Glorious Moments
• In the year 1987, Sunil Gavaskar scored his 10,000th test run on this ground and became the first batsman in the world to achieve this feat.
• In the year 1995, Kapil Dev took claimed his 432nd Test wicket at this stadium to become the highest wicket-taker in the world in 1995, breaking Sir Richard Hadlee's previous record. He also took a nine-wicket haul against West Indies on the same ground in 1983.
• Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored his first double-hundred on this ground in the year 1999.
The idea to rebuild the stadium from scratch was proposed by the new Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi who was then the president of the Gujrat Cricket Association and then Chief Minister of Gujrat at the time. In October 2015, the stadium was demolished for reconstruction, though in the initial stage it was interpreted as a minor renovation after the Prime Minister moved to Delhi, the plan was supposedly extended to rebuilt it completely. The total cost of reconstruction was earlier estimated to be INR700 crores. However, the final cost is estimated at INR 800 crores. The reconstruction, which was originally planned to be finished in 2019, eventually completed in February 2020.
After the inauguration of the Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium, it has become one of the 10 largest stadiums in the world, 5 of which are in India! Which one is your favorite cricket stadium? Tell us in the comments below!
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