Motera's Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium set to become the largest in the world

The Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad is set to become the biggest cricket stadium in the world, as far as seating capacity is concerned. The Gujarat Cricket Association has handed the stadium’s renovation project to Larsen and Turbo (L&T), according to a report by The  Times of India. [caption id=“attachment_3147928” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Aerial view of the Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera. Wikicommons[/caption] L&T was handed a letter of acceptance by GCA vice-president Parimal Nathwani after the demolition of the old ground was complete, which had paved the way for the construction company to take over and develop the proposed stadium. Presently the stadium can house 54,000 people, but with the new plans, it is projected to seat about 1,10,000 people. This will almost double its seating capacity, surpassing the Melbourne Cricket Ground which seats 1,0,024 as the stadium with the largest seating capacity.   Besides an increased seating capacity, the new stadium will also have better infrastructure for the spectators with an increase in the number of air-conditioned boxes and improved parking facilities, continues the report. “The entry, stay and exit processes will be smoothed and emphasis will be given to facilitate guided tours of the cricket museum. Other facilities key facilities like eateries, fan-zones and washrooms will be of absolute top notch quality. In the next two years, the new structure will be ready,” GCA secretary Rajesh Patel was quoted as saying by  The Times of India.  Currently, there are four Indian stadiums among the top five in the world with regards to seating capacity. Kolkata’s Eden Gardens (66,000), Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Naya Raipur (65,000), Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi (60,000), and the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad (60,000), make it to the lost. With this proposed plan, the new Motera stadium will lead these grounds significantly, in a bid to give larger number of fans the opportunity to watch matches live at the ground in a country where the demand for tickets are always high.