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Narendra Modi Stadium is the world’s largest cricket stadium which is situated inside the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in Ahmedabad, India. Since it is located in Motera the stadium was commonly called Motera Cricket Stadium or Motera Stadium.
Formerly known as the Sardar Patel Stadium, On 24th February 2021, the stadium was renamed to Narendra Modi cricket stadium the current Prime Minister of India who was also the president of the Gujarat Cricket Association from 2009 to 2014 and the chief minister of the state from 2001 to 2014.
Located on the banks of the Sabarmati River Narendra Modi stadium is the world’s largest cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 1,32,000. Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium is 30% larger than the world’s second-largest cricket ground the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) located in Victoria, Australia which has a seating capacity of 1,00,024 seats.
Narendra Modi Stadium is double that of Kolkata’s Eden Gardens which has 68,000 seats.
Modi Stadium is 4 times greater than the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, London which has a seating capacity of 30,000.
Ground Information
| Established | 1982 (Former Structure) 24 February 2020 (Reconstruction) |
| Capacity | 1,32,000 (2020-Present), 54,000 (2006-2015) 49,000 (1982-2006) |
| End Names | Adani Pavilion End, Reliance End |
| Owner | Gujarat Cricket Association |
| Stands | Presidents Gallery. Adani Lower Pavilion. Adani Upper Pavilion. Club Pavilion. West Pavilion. GMDC Upper Pavilion. GMDC Lower Pavilion. North Stand (Lower). North Stand (Upper). East Stand (Lower). East Stand (Upper). |
History of Narendra Modi Stadium
The stadium was formerly known as Gujrat Stadium and was later renamed Sardar Patel Stadium in tribute to India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Before this stadium, the international cricket matches were played at Ahmadabad’s municipal corporation stadium in the Navrangpura area which had the same name as Sardar Patel Stadium.
The Government of Gujarat in 1982 donated a stretch of 100-acre land on the banks of river Sabarmati for the construction of the new stadium. The construction of the new stadium was initiated and within a period of nine months, the construction of the stadium was completed and inaugurated in the year 1982 with a seating capacity of about 49,000. Since then, all the international fixtures of the state are played in this stadium. A test match between India and West Indies on November 12, 1983, was the first International match hosted in this stadium.
International Information
| First Test | 12 – 16 November 1983 India vs West Indies |
| First ODI | 05 October 1984 India vs Australia |
| First T20I | 28 December 2012 India vs Pakistan |
| First WODI | 12 March 2012 India vs Australia |
| First WT20I | 22 January 2011 India vs West Indies |
Renovation of Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium
In 2006 the stadium underwent a renovation where the cover stands and flood lights were introduced in the stadium. Three new pitches and also a new outfield was also planned in the renovation program. After the renovation, the capacity of the stadium increased from 49,000 to 54,000. This renovation was planned for the event of the 2006 Champions Trophy and keeping in mind the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
The stadium hosted 5 of the 15 matches of the 2006 Champions Trophy and 3 matches of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup including the Quarterfinal between India and Australia.
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Reconstruction
Narendra Modi then the President of the Gujarat Cricket Association and Chief Minister of Gujarat proposed to build a new stadium. Shortly after Modi moved to Delhi to become the Prime minister there were reports of minor renovations at the pavilion end however Modi asked the officials to construct a new stadium with a vision of the World’s largest Cricket Ground instead of minor renovations.
In 2015 the demolition work of the stadium was started and tenders for the construction of the new stadium were issued on 1 January 2016. A total of nine bidders showed interest and purchased the tender documents. Out of the nine only 3 submitted technical and financial bids on time.
A nine-member Tender Commercial Committee (TCC) was formed to evaluate the three bidders which were Nagarjuna Construction Co. Ltd, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd, and Larsen & Toubro.
Each of the bidders was asked to submit their Designs, Models, and Technical Details. Taking into consideration multiple parameters like the time frame of completion, resources, efficiency, budget, and ease of implementation the TCC evaluated the three bidders. Financially lowest and Technically Ranked first Larsen & Toubro won the tender for the construction of the World’s Largest Cricket Stadium.
Larsen & Toubro started the construction work of the stadium in December 2016. The estimated cost of the construction was around 700 crores but the final cost was reported around 800 crores.
The stadium was to build the stadium in just 38 months. On 24th February 2021, President Ram Nath Kovind in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the World’s Largest Cricket Stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium.
Narendra Modi Stadium Construction Details.
For the construction of the World’s Largest Cricket Stadium, global collaboration was necessary. Larsen & Toubro India’s largest construction company collaborated with many countries around the world to bring this masterpiece into reality.
The Narendra Modi Stadium was designed by Populous an Australian-based sports architecture company.
Some of the famous works of Populous are Tottenham Hotspur Stadium London, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and the Warner Stand at Lords Cricket Ground London.
Populous faced many challenges while designing the stadium, they had to provide every one of the 1,32,000 seats unobstructed 360-degree view to ensure the spectators feels like they are a part of what was happening. Populous came up with the idea of bowl design, a bowl design consisting of two large seating tiers. The seating capacity of the lower tier is 55,000 and the upper tier is designed with a seating capacity of 77,000.
One of the complex parts of the project was its roofing, since the stadium is located in a level three seismic zone the roofs should be lightweight.
A roofing expert from America, Walter P Moore was chosen for this task. Walter P Moore has experience in building special types of roofs. Some of the works of Walter P Moore include the AT&T Stadium which has a retractable roof, SoFi Stadium which is known for its translucent roof, and The Astrodome.
In order to develop an economical roofing system and keeping in mind the seismic zone, Walter P Moore decided to corporate a lightweight cable-supported tensile membrane roof. A special lightweight, antibacterial, fireproof PTFE fabric was imported from Japan and the steel cables were brought from Italy.
Walter P Moore also ensured to make the roofing structure should be independent of the concrete bowl in order to make it earthquake resistant.
The stadium does not feature the traditional Floodlights with a tower, instead special LED lights are mounted on the roof of the stadium which is generally referred to as the Ring of Fire.
580 special LED lights from Spain are installed in the stadium with each of 1500 Watts.
Narendra Modi Stadium Design and Facilities.
Narendra Modi Stadium area is spread across 63 acres and has 4 entry points as compared to one in the previous stadium.
The Narendra Modi stadium dimension is 180 yards X 150 yards.
This stadium is the only Cricket Stadium that has 4 dressing rooms with associated facilities which can ensure two back-to-back matches.
It is equipped with 6 indoor practice pitches and 3 outdoor practice fields. It features an indoor Cricket Academy with a dormitory for 40 athletes.
It has 76 corporate boxes each with a seating capacity of 25.
Outside the main ground, it features an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a Badminton and Tennis Court, a Squash arena, table tennis, and a 3D projector theater.
The parking lot here can accommodate 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers.
Narendra Modi stadium has 66 pop-up sprinklers that are fully automated with moisture sensors that are connected to the nearest weather station with the help of which it calculates depending on the weather how much water to spray.
It features a High-tech Drainage system that can drain 75 mm of rainwater in just 30 minutes this is 3 times more than the required capacity.
Narendra Modi Stadium Boundary Length| Narendra Modi Stadium Six distance
Narendra Modi stadium’s ground size in meters is 165 meters x 138 meters. According to ICC minimum requirement for the Outfield is 17000 Sqm. The boundary size on the front of the square (covers, extra covers, deep mid-wicket areas) is 75-80 meters. The straighter boundaries are also at an average of 75-80 meters. Boundaries on the squares (square leg, deep point) are around 67-74 meters. Behind square (fine leg, long leg, and third man areas) at an average of 60-62 meters.
Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report
Narendra Modi Stadium is the only stadium that has a total of 11 pitches. It has one extra pitch than Kolkata’s Eden Garden which has 10 pitches.
Pitch numbers 1-5 are made from local black clay soil, and pitch number 6-11 are made from red silt soil from Mumbai. Black clay soil pitches are usually used for shorter formats and they offer a better bounce. The Red soil pitches are used for longer formats of the game which tend to dry soon and assist spinners or slow bowlers.
Pitch number 4,5,6,7,8 is used for BCCI, International, and IPL matches.
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Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium Notable Events
- in 1983, Ravi Shastri Played his first Test match on this ground against West Indies.
- Sunil Gavaskar completed 10,000 runs in test cricket on this ground against Pakistan and became the highest run scorer in test cricket.
- Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden Double Century in Test on this ground.
- In February 1994, Kapil Dev scalped his 432nd wicket in test cricket and surpassed Sir Richard Hadlee’s record. Thus, becoming the highest wicket-taker in test cricket.
- Gautam Gambhir scored his first international century 103 on this ground vs Sri Lanka.
- In the 2011 ICC World Cup, Team India defeated Australia in the quarterfinals and marked a huge win at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
- On 8th Feb 1994, Sagi Lakshmi Venkatapathy Raju gave an outstanding bowling performance by taking 11 wickets against Sri Lanka.
- In 2008, AB de Villiers scored a double-ton against India during the second test of South Africa’s tour to India.
- In 2013, Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 30,000 runs in international cricket at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
- In 2011, In a match against Australia in Cricket World Cup 2011, Sachin Tendulkar became the first ever cricket to score 18,000 runs in ODI.
Location
Official Website: gujaratcricketassociation.com
Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium FAQ
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Q) Narendra Modi Stadium Capacity.
The capacity of the Narendra Modi stadium currently is 1,32,000 seats. The former structure (1982-2006) had a capacity of 49,000 seats after its renovation in 2006 its capacity was increased to 54,000 seats (2006 – 2015). In 2015 the former structure was demolished and a new structure was built in 38 months with around 3600 workers, 8000 precast elements.
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Q) Narendra Modi Stadium cost of Building.
The estimated cost of the construction of Narendra Modi cricket stadium was around 700 crores but the final cost was reported around 800 crores.
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Q) Narendra Modi Stadium ground size in meters and boundary length.
Narendra Modi stadium ground size in meters is 165-meter x 138-meter. According to ICC minimum requirement for the Outfield is 17000 Sqm. The boundary size on the front of square (covers, extra covers, deep mid-wicket areas) is 75-80 meters. The straighter boundaries are also at an average of 75-80 meters. Boundaries on the squares (square leg, deep point) are around 67-74 meters. Behind square (fine leg, long leg and third man areas) at an average of 60-62 meters.
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Q) Narendra Modi stadium tickets price.
The Ticket price in stadium varies from stand to stand it starts from a price range of 500 and can go maximum up to 10,000 or even 14,000.
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Q) Who built Motera Stadium?
India’s largest construction company Larsen & Toubro in collaboration with Populous an Australian-based sports architecture company built the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium which is the Worlds Largest Cricket Stadium.