Majestic cricket venue planned in Rajasthan

Article posted by Coliseum, July 8^th, 2020

Image: Ground for the new Rajasthan Cricket Stadium (thehindubusinelline.com)

The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has unfurled detailed plans for a new 75,000-seat stadium in the Indian State.

Once the stadium comes up, it will become the third largest cricket venue in the world, after the recently-opened 110,000-capacity Motera Cricket Stadium in the Indian city of Ahmedabad and the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

Details for the new facility in India were given by RCA Secretary Mahendra Sharma recently – “The stadium will come up near Chomp Village, which is 25 kms from Jaipur.”

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Media reports quoted Sharma as saying, “The stadium will have facilities for indoor games, sports training academies, a club house and parking for nearly 4,000 vehicles. It will also have two practice grounds, which can be used for Ranji Trophy matches.”

Work is expected to start within four months. The venue will spread over 100 acres of land and the price tag will be Rs 350 crore (£37.5m/€41.4m/$46.9m).

Media reports further stated that the arena will be built in two phases, with an initial 45,000-capacity stadium to be built before the remaining 30,000 seats are added. It will take two years for the arena to come up.

The RCA presently operates out of the 30,000-seat Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The stadium has staged Test matches and One-Day Internationals in the past and also serves as the home of the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 franchise.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India contested during March or April and May of every year by eight teams representing eight different cities in India. The league was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2008.

Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium (in the Indian State of Gujarat) opened in February this year with an inauguration ceremony that was attended by US President Donald Trump. Designed by Populous in collaboration with India’s top construction contractor, Larsen & Toubro, the stadium was built within three years at a cost of $100m (£77.7m/€91m). Officially named Sardar Patel Stadium and home to the Gujarat Cricket Association, the venue enjoys the tag of being the largest capacity cricket stadium in the world.

It is learnt that a new stadium is brainchild of RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot, son of present Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The construction of the stadium was approved unanimously at a board meeting held under the guidance of Vaibhav Gehlot.

The meeting also approved holding of domestic cricket tournaments in Rajasthan, setting-up a selection committee for senior and junior (men and women) categories, and appointment of coaches and sports staff for teams of different categories.

The stadium will boast two restaurants for spectators, 30 practice nets for players and a press conference room which can sit 250 people.

As far as the finances are concerned, Sharma said BCCI owes Rs 90 crore to RCA while the association will seek a grant of Rs 100 crore from BCCI. Rs 100 crore will be taken as loan and Rs 60 crore will be amassed by selling corporate boxes in the stadium.

Mehta and associates LLP and Delhi-based sports design consultancy firm GRAS, which will build the stadium, have given a presentation of the stadium design to RCA chief patron CP Joshi and Vaibhav Gehlot.

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