The world’s largest cricket stadium at Ahmedabad in Gujarat was renamed the Narendra Modi Stadium. The rebuilt stadium is a part of the proposed, sprawling Patel Sports Enclave, which includes the world’s largest cricket stadium, sanatorium facility for athletics and track and field sports, a football stadium, a field hockey and tennis stadium, indoor sports halls and arenas, velodrome/ skating area, and outdoor fields. The enclave is spread in over 220 acres on the river bank in the north-east area of Ahmedabad.
The new stadium set up by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), is a dream project of the PM, to demolish the old stadium completely and rebuild in its place a new one, which would be the largest in the world with the best of its class facilities.
The old stadium, with 49,000 seating capacity, was known as the Patel Cricket Stadium. Construction of the new stadium began in 2016. It has been built at an estimated cost of ₹800 crore. The refurbished stadium is spread over a 63-acre plot. According to the GCA, the newly built stadium has a total capacity of 1,32,000. It significantly surpasses the capacity of the higher the largest Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, which can host 90,000 spectators. There are three entry points to the stadium.
This is the first time the field of an Indian cricket stadium has been fitted with LED lights.
Before 2020, Ahmedabad had hosted 12 Tests, 23 ODI and 1 T20Is. It hosted the 2011 World Cup quarter-final between India and Australia. The venue has seen some landmark moments like Sunil Gaspar breaching the 10,000-Test run mark, a toothy-grinned Dev watching 432 balloons floating out of the stadium after he went past the Richard Hadley record for most Test wickets, Java gal reverse-swinging spell from hell that dismantled South Africa as India defended a modest fourth-innings target, Rahul 11,000th Test run, and SRT 30,000th international run.
Narendra Modi Stadium or Patel Stadium, which has hosted 14 Tests, 27 One Day Internationals and 6 T20Is, has also hosted 16 Indian Premier League matches so far. The venue is currently home to Gujarat Titans.
Over the years, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has served has home to Rajasthan Royals in seasons 2010, 2014 and 2015. The venue also hosted a few matches in Indian Premier League 2021, before the rise in COVID cases forced the BCC I to shift the matches to the UAE.
BCC I have announced Narendra Modi Stadium as one of the venues that will host the playoff matches of Indian Premier League 2022. Although the Ahmedabad has hosted Indian Premier League matches earlier, the venue has never hosted the playoff stages so far.
The venue in Ahmedabad is scheduled to host the Qualifier 2 and then the all important final. Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the other two playoff matches.
Boundary Dimensions: Field size is 180 yards x 150 yards with boundary size on the squares and behind square at an average of 60 meters, while the straighter boundaries are at an average of 75 meters.
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