Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has confirmed about building world’s third largest cricket stadium in the outskirts of Jaipur. It will occupy 75,000 people and costs a whopping INR 350 crore.
RCA secretary Mahendra Sharma said the cricket stadium is to be spread across over 100 acres and the land has been finalised in Chonp village, 25 kilometres from Jaipur, on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. The construction is expected to begin in the next four months.
This will be the third largest stadium in the world after Motera stadium in Ahmedabad and the Melbourne cricket stadium. Motera has a seating capacity of 1.10 lakh while the Melbourne stadium can host 1.02 lakh people.
Sharma also added that apart from cricket, the stadium is facilitated with indoor games, sports training academies, a club house, and a parking lot for 4000 vehicles. It will also comprise of two practice grounds that can be used for Ranji matches. There will be two restaurants for viewers, 30 practice nets for players, and a press conference room with a seating capacity of 250 pax.
Regarding the financing, Sharma said BCCI owes INR 90 crore to RCA while the association will loan another INR 100 crore from the same institute. INR 100 crore will be taken as a loan while INR 60 crore will be gathered by selling corporate boxes in the stadium.
The stadium is proposed to be built in two phases. In the first phase, seating capacity of 45,000 spectators will be built and in the second phase, another 75,000 seats will be added. The stadium will be built within two years of construction being started, said Sharma.
Mehta and associates LLP and Delhi based sports design consultancy firm GRAS, which will build the stadium, have given a presentation of the stadium design to RCA chief patron CP Joshi and RCA president Vaibhav Gehlot. The proposal for construction of the stadium was approved unanimously at a meeting of the RCA executive committee that was held under aegis of RCA president Vaibhav Gehlot.
Other points of discussion on the agenda were holding of domestic cricket tournaments in Rajasthan, setting-up a selection committee for senior and junior (men and women) categories, and appointment of coaches and sports staff for teams of different categories.
Currently, all domestic matches have been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic outburst.
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