Narendra Modi Stadium
Updated: Wikipedia source
Narendra Modi Stadium is an international cricket stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. With a total capacity of 132,000, it is the world's largest cricket stadium and the largest overall stadium in the world by capacity. It is owned by the Gujarat Cricket Association, and hosts both domestic and international cricket matches. The stadium has hosted several high-profile matches, such as the 2023 Cricket World Cup final and the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup final. The stadium will also be used for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Situated near the Sabarmati River, the stadium is named after the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. It replaced the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, which hosted domestic and international cricket in the city until its demolition in 2015, including the 1987, 1996, and 2011 Cricket World Cups. In 2014, it was decided that a new stadium should be built on the same plot. The new stadium, originally named Motera Stadium, was designed by Populous and built by Larsen and Toubro. It took five years to build, at an estimated cost of ₹800 crore (US$83 million). After completion, the new arena replaced the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the world's largest cricket stadium. The stadium has four dressing rooms, 11 centre pitches, and two practice grounds. The practice grounds can also serve as venues for domestic matches. On February 24, 2020, the new stadium first opened to the public by hosting the Namaste Trump event, which saw an approximate attendance of 125,000 people. One year later, on February 24, 2021, the stadium was officially inaugurated by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and renamed the Narendra Modi Stadium in honour of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had previously served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat (2001–2014) and President of the Gujarat Cricket Association (2009–2014). This ceremony took place just hours before the venue hosted its first-ever international cricket match—a day-night pink-ball Test between India and England. On 29 September 2022, the opening ceremony of the 2022 National Games of India was held in the stadium.