… Complex to take two years to complete

By Dan Hawkins
MELBOURNE Cricket Ground (MCG) will no longer be the world’s largest cricket ground, with construction company Larsen & Turbo (L&T) due to start work on a new-look Sardar Patel Gujarat stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad.

The previous stadium had a capacity of 54 000 before it was demolished in 2015 to allow for a big-scale renovation, meaning the new site will hold 110 000, putting MCG’s 100 024 to shame.
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,” read a press release from the Gujarat Cricket Association.
The overall cost of the project will be around £84M ($103M) but will be more than just a cricket ground.
The complex will house 76 corporate boxes, four dressing rooms, a clubhouse and an Olympic-size swimming pool, as well as three practice grounds and an indoor cricket academy.
And to cope with the inevitable traffic problems, the stadium will have three entry points instead of just one.

The Sardar Patel cricket stadium in Motera has hosted 12 Test matches and 24 one-day internationals since it was inaugurated in 1982.
India already has some of the world’s largest cricket arenas, the hallowed Eden Gardens once accommodated 100 000 before it was modernised and reduced the capacity by 40%, and the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, which holds 68 000.

Gujarat Cricket Association’s vice-president and Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani has also hinted at the possibility of a new name for the stadium once completed.
The completed stadium is also expected to be the home of Indian Premier League side Gujarat Lions. (IBT)