India now home to world's biggest cricket stadium: 12 fabulous facts about Motera's 'Narendra Modi Stadium'

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday inaugurated the world's largest cricket arena -- the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera. Here is everything you need to know about the new feather in BCCI's cap.

The refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera will be now called the 'Narendra Modi Stadium'. The facility, which was closed for renovation in 2015, was witness to some major milestones in Indian cricket in its previous avatar. These included Sunil Gava

Updated on:

25 Feb 2021, 10:15 am

2 min read

The 'upgraded' Motera stadium can accommodate an awe-inspiring 1.32 lakh spectators. (Photo | AFP)

Spread over 63 acres, the stadium has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore. (Photo | AFP)

Motera has surpassed the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground which can accommodate 90,000. IN PIC: A large crowd attends the MCG to watch the Boxing Day match. (Photo | AFP)

According to an official statement, the total area of the Motera stadium 'is equivalent to 32 Olympic size soccer fields put together'. (Photo | AFP)

Australian architect firm Populous, which designed the Melbourne Cricket Stadium among others, is the architect of the new stadium. (Photo | AFP)

The sports complex in the stadium is not for just cricket but other disciplines including football, hockey, basketball, kabbadi, boxing, and lawn tennis among others. (Photo| Twitter/ @bcci)

Instead of high mast floodlights, the field of play has LED lights fixed along the perimeter of the roof providing shadow-less light -- a first of its kind arrangement in India.

This is the only cricket stadium in the world to have four dressing rooms for the players so that back-to-back games can be played on the same day. (Photo | AFP)

The Motera stadium has 11 pitches made of both red and black soil and is the only stadium in the world to have same soil surfaces for the main and practice pitches. (Photo| Twitter/ @bcci)