India’s dream of boasting the world’s biggest cricket stadium inched a step closer after Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) handed the contract to Larsen & Turbo (L&T) to rebuild the Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad. Yesterday, GCA vice-president Parimal Nathwani gave the official letter to L&T Director MV Satish in the presence of his fellow association members.
A GCA press release stated, “The ground is ready to be handed over to the construction company. The new stadium, when completed, will be the largest cricket stadium in the world which will be made to meet all the latest the international standards. The new stadium will have improved infrastructure for the spectators with an increase in the number of air-conditioned boxes and up-gradation of the parking facilities.”
Also Read: Top 5 Indian cricket stadiums with the best crowd atmosphere
“The entry, stay and exit processes will be smoothed and emphasis will be given to facilitate guided tours of the cricket museum. Other facilities key facilities like eateries, fan-zones and washrooms will be of absolute top notch quality. In the next two years, the new structure will be ready.”
With the demolition of the old stadium completed, the revamped arena upon completion is set to eclipse the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in terms of seating capacity. While the MCG can currently accommodate as many as 1,00,024 spectators, the completed Motera stadium may hold anywhere around 1,10,000 cricket fans.
At present, no other stadium comes close to the staggering numbers put out by the above two stadia. However, before it’s infrastructure was upgraded ahead of the 2011 World Cup, the Eden Gardens of yore was estimated to have often brought in 1,00,000 cricket aficionados.
The proposal to renovate the Sardar Patel Stadium was a brainchild of India‘s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, who is also GCA’s Chairman. It was aimed at improving the existing facilities in order to produce a larger number of cricketers from Gujarat.
Shah had said then, “We have been making attempts to make Motera world's best and state-of-the-art stadium for which the design and the project is ready. It is very difficult to become a good cricketer if facilities are not up to the mark. There will neither be quality nor quantity in such circumstances. With the better ground facilities, we will get good cricketers from Gujarat.”
The demolition process, which began in September last year, has taken more than a year. Although no tentative dates have been mentioned for the unveiling of the new stadium, the rebuilding process is expected to take some time.
Follow your cricket stars and what they are upto in the latest cricket news and analysis at Sportskeeda Cricket
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
