Sardar Patel Stadium: All you need to know about the world's largest cricket venue

On February 24, the newly renovated Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad was the venue for US President Donald Trump's ‘Namaste Trump’ event with Narendra Modi. It was the first major event to be held at the newly constructed Sardar Patel Stadium. Though not officially open as more work is underway, let’s take a look at the stadium.

When it officially opens its doors to cricket enthusiasts in March 2020, it will become the game’s largest arena in the world. Built at a cost of Rs 700 crore, the new structure has a seating capacity of 1,10,000 spectators.

Designed to impress

The hallmark of the stadium is its design. A unique feature of the stadium is the LED lights on the roof instead of the usual floodlights at cricket grounds. This will be the first of its kind design in India. The lights are installed on an anti-bacterial, fireproof canopy with PTFE membrane that covers 30 meters of the total 55 meters breadth of the sitting area. 

The roof has been specifically designed to be lightweight and separate from the seating bowls in order to allow for easy movement in times of any calamity. The structure also eliminates the need for pillars, giving spectators an unobstructed view of the entire field from any place in the stadium.

Apart from the main ground, the stadium will also accommodate several other features, including an Olympic sized swimming pool, indoor cricket academy, badminton and tennis courts, squash arena, table tennis area, 3D projector theatre and a clubhouse with three practice grounds and 50 rooms. The parking lot can accommodate 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers. 

The stadium will also have excellent ‘sub-surface’ drainage facilities that will help dry out the outfield within 30 minutes.

There will be three entry points to the stadium. A 'Sky-Walk' will allow spectators to directly enter the stadium within 300 meters from disembarking at the nearby metro station. 

Top 5 cricket grounds by capacity

1. Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera Stadium), Ahmedabad, India. Seating capacity: 110,000

2. Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne, Australia. Seating capacity: 100,024

3. Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India. Seating capacity: 80,000

4. Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur, India. Seating capacity: 65,000

5. Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia. Seating capacity: 60,000