The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, also known as the Khandheri Cricket Stadium, is a cricket stadium located in Rajkot, India. It has a capacity of 28,000 seats and is Gujarat’s first solar-powered stadium. The stadium’s style is taken from the Lord’s and is one of the finest stadiums in India at present.
The stadium area comprises of a sporting complex with space for badminton, volleyball, and basketball. There is also another ground next to the main venue which is used mainly for district matches.
The cost of construction is said to be around $14 million, which amounts to 75 crores in Indian currency.
History
The stadium was sanctioned construction by the Government in 2004 when a 30-acre land was acquired near the Jamnagar highway. The construction began in 2006 and was completed by 2008.
The stadium is said to be state-of-the-art because of its design which resembles the Lord’s stadium in England. The stadium hosts district matches along with the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground.
The first international match played here was an ODI between India and England on 11 January 2013. England won the match by nine runs in a thriller, with pacer James Treadwell picking up 4 Indian wickets.
Major Matches
In total, the stadium has witnessed only five international matches - one test, two ODIs and two T20Is.
The stadium witnessed its only test match from November 9-13, 2016 when it was selected as one of the six test cricketing venues when the England team toured India.
The first ODI played here was also against England, on 11 January 2013. The other ODI was against the Proteas on 18 October 2015 and India were beaten by 18 runs. Quinton de Kock scored a ton off 118 balls.
The stadium was the homeground for the Indian Premier League franchise Gujarat Lions where six matches were played and also a venue for the 2015-16 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Recent Matches
The most recent match played at this stadium was a T20 international between India and New Zealand on 4 November 2017. New Zealand batted first and made a score of 196, with Colin Munro scoring a century off just over 50 balls. India lost the match by 40 runs, as the batsmen struggling to make any impact.
