Even though there are various sports played and cherished across India, the love for cricket is unmatchable. India is a powerhouse of world cricket. It has got 52 international cricket stadiums, which is the highest when compared to any other country in the world. This is because of the geographical size of the country and the volume of the audience watching cricket in this country. But with so many stadiums, which is the biggest stadium in India?
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Biggest Stadium in India
Sports, in general, in India have been given a lot of importance. But cricket has a different level of the fanbase. It is treated as a religion in India. The intensity, scale, and passion of the Indian cricket audience are unmatchable with any other sport in India. Cricket has significantly grown over the years and that is one reason why India incorporates some of the largest stadiums in the world. India also has the maximum number of cricket turfs in the world. Over the years, many stadiums have been revamped and expanded to accommodate more sports lovers. The atmosphere created in these stadiums during the sports home season is incredible. Here are the 10 biggest cricket stadiums in India.
5. M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Located in Chennai, M A Chidambaram Stadium is the second oldest stadium in India, after Eden Gardens. It was established in 1916 as a Madras cricket club. The first match held here was a test match held before independence in 1934. This stadium not only hosts international matches but all hosts the IPL every year. M A Chidambaram Stadium, also known as Chepauk, is the home ground of the 3 times IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
The stadium is named after the former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) MA Chidambaram. The most famous match played in this stadium is the Test match between India and Pakistan in 1999. The stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in India and has a seating capacity of 55,000 people.
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4. Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium is not very old. It was constructed in 2003 by Sashi Prabh, a famous architect. It was originally named Visakha International Cricket Stadium. But the former CM of Andhra Pradesh made a decision to change the name to Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The first international match played here was an ODI between South Africa and India in 2005.
This stadium is the home ground of the IPL team of Hyderabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad. The stadium has a flat track due to which it is also known as a batsman-friendly and high-scoring pitch. Hence, it is not considered for most of the high-profile matches in India. The stadium has a crowd capacity of 55,000 people.
3. Naya Raipur International Cricket Stadium, Raipur
This is a newly built stadium located in Chhattisgarh. It is not just one of the biggest stadiums in India but also has a huge playing area. Unlike most stadiums in India that have a short boundary, no cricketer finds it easy to clear the boundary at Naya Raipur International Cricket Stadium. We can expect a lot of high-profile and important matches to be hosted at this stadium. Due to its size, it is amazing to look at it when it is houseful. This is not just the third biggest stadium in India but also the fourth largest stadium in the world.
Though this stadium is not a home ground for any franchise of the IPL, Delhi Capitals (former Delhi Daredevils) have played a couple of home games in this stadium. Apart from the IPL, Naya Raipur International cricket stadium has also hosted the champions league in 2014. This was a tournament played by various top T20 teams around the world. This was one of the most memorable matches in the stadium. It has a seating capacity of 65,000 people. It is also referred to as Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium after Veer Narayan Singh Binjhwar.
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2. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Eden Gardens used to be the largest stadium in India until 2012. Established in the year 1864, it is the oldest stadium in India. The stadium was renovated and expanded in 1987. It is known for the fascinating atmosphere created every time a match is held. There have been various memorable matches played here, but the best remains the test match against Australia in 2001.
The finals of the T20 world cup in 2016 were hosted here. The teams that played against each other were West Indies and England. It hosted a day-night match last year and became the first stadium in India to do so. This match was played between India and Bangladesh. Eden Gardens is the home ground for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Initially, the stadium has a seating capacity of 40,000 people. But with expansion, the crowd capacity has also increased to 90,000 people making it one of the biggest stadiums in India.
1. Motera Stadium, Ahemdabad | Biggest Stadium in India
Owned by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), Motera Stadium is currently the biggest stadium in India. This is not a new stadium. It was built way back in the ’80s but had a small seating capacity. It was renovated and expanded in 2012. In terms of seating capacity, Motera Stadium is the largest stadium in the world as well. In terms of size, it is the second biggest stadium in the world after Melbourne Cricket Stadium.
This stadium is also known as the Sardar Patel Stadium. It was demolished in 2015. After this, it got renovated and was re-opened in 2020. Montera stadium was the venue for Namaste Trump which was held on 24th February 2020.
One of the quarter-finals of the ODI world cup 2011 was played here. The match was held between India and Australia. This was one of the most memorable matches as winning this match has opened the doors for India to participate in the World Cup finals after 28 years. Sunil Gavaskar became the first player to cross 10,000 test runs in this stadium. It has a seating capacity of 1.1 lakh people, which is the highest among all stadiums across the world.
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These were all the largest stadiums in India. Please note that all the views expressed are based on industry reports and news stories.
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