The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to inaugurate the largest cricket stadium in the world, which is currently being built in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The stadium is built at a cost of Rs 700 crore and has a seating capacity of 1,10,000. The first match to be played in the new stadium is anticipated to be an exhibition match between Asia XI and World XI in March 2020, subject to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) approval.
The new Sardar Patel stadium will be the biggest cricket ground surpassing the Melbourne Cricket Ground's capacity of 1,00,000 people.
Here are some interesting facts:
The project is a brainchild of former President of Gujarat Cricket Association and current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, along with the support of Amit Shah.
The new Sardar Patel stadium, which is estimated to cost Rs 700 crore, is constructed by Larson and Toubro (L&T), which is also responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the world's tallest statue, Statue of Unity.
The Motera stadium in its new life spreads over 63 acres and will have a clubhouse with over three practice grounds, an indoor cricket academy, an Olympic size swimming pool, 76 corporate boxes, 50 rooms, four dressing rooms and a parking area, which can hold around 3,000 cars and nearly 10,000 bikes.
A solar power plant is also being constructed in the stadium premises in order to utilise sustainable power. Lubi Solar, a division of Lubi Electronics, will be responsible for this solar power plant.