Jaipur to get India's second largest cricket stadium after Motera; BCCI grants ₹100 crores

In a boost to cricket infrastructure, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a financial grant of Rs 100 crore to the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), which will be used to build India's second-largest cricket stadium. The facility, which will be second to the recently inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, is set to be built in Jaipur. As per ANI, the construction of the new stadium is likely to be completed within 24-30 months from commencement. 

"Historic day for cricket in Rajasthan- went to JDA for getting the lease deed and possession letter from JDC Gaurav Goyal for the land for India’s second-largest cricket stadium proposed at Jaipur," RCA chief and son of Rajasthan CM, Vaibhav Gehlot tweeted. RCA Advisor GS Sandhu and Secretary Mahendra Sharma were also present. 

Construction to be completed in 2 phases, will have 44 pitches

Meanwhile, an amount of Rs 290 crores has been estimated to be spent on the construction of the second-largest cricket stadium in India. This amount will be sourced from; Rs 100 crore from bank loan, Rs 100 crore from BCCI grant, Rs 90 crore from RCS funds, sale of boxes, seats & sponsorship. The proposed stadium will have a spectator capacity of 75,000. 

"Construction work will be done in 2 phases. There will be 40,000 spectator capacity in the first phase and the ground will have 44 international level cricket pitches. There will be two practice grounds, 4 cricket academies, hostels, parking facilities, sports facilities like club, hotel, gym etc and will be made of international level," an official statement reads. 

The new stadium in Jaipur also comes at a time when the BCCI approved the expansion of franchises in the Indian Premier League(IPL). With Jaipur being one of the frontrunners in the race to get an IPL franchise, the international cricket stadium will be an added advantage to the franchise as it will provide them with a home advantage. The BCCI has agreed to host 9 teams in IPL from the 2022 edition onwards. As per sources, the auction of franchises is expected to be held in July ahead of the resumption of IPL in the UAE later this year. 

In February,2021, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the newly-built Motera Stadium which was renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium ahead of the pink-ball Test between India and England. The stadium is the biggest cricket stadium in the world as it has a total capacity of 1,32,000. The stadium is oval in shape and as a result, whenever a match is played on any of the 11 pitches, the boundary size remains the same on both sides.