Sardar Patel Stadium

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The stadium was originally named Motera Stadium and was designed by Populous and built by Larsen and Toubro. It took five years to build, at an estimated cost of ₹800 crore (US$83 million). After completion, the new arena replaced the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the world's largest cricket stadium. The stadium has four dressing rooms, 11 centre pitches, and two practice grounds. The practice grounds can also serve as venues for domestic matches. On 24 February 2020, the new stadium first opened to the public by hosting the Namaste Trump event, which saw an approximate attendance of 125,000 people. One year later, on 24 February 2021, the stadium was officially inaugurated by Indian president Ram Nath Kovind and renamed 'Narendra Modi Stadium' in honour of Modi who had previously served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat (2001–2014) and President of the Gujarat Cricket Association (2009–2014). This ceremony took place just hours before the venue hosted its first-ever international cricket match—a day-night pink-ball Test between India and England.

In Their Own Story

The stadium later became the home ground of IPL team Gujarat Titans and hosted the 2022, 2023, and 2025 IPL Finals. The stadium also hosted five matches of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, including the opening and final games, as well as high-profile matches pitting India against Pakistan and Australia against England. British rock band Coldplay played two shows at the stadium on 25 and 26 January 2025, as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. The stadium is built on 63 acres of land and has four entry points, with a metro line at one of the entry points. It has 76 corporate boxes that can hold 25 persons each, a 55-room clubhouse, an Olympic size swimming pool, and four dressing rooms. A food court and hospitality area are available in each spectator stand. The stadium also includes an indoor cricket academy and practice pitches, with dormitories for 40 athletes.

Reader's Guide

The stands generally follow a two-tier structure; however, there is a three-tier main pavilion. The two-tier structure is supported from beneath by numerous Y-shaped columns, which eliminate the need for pillars and thus give spectators an unobstructed view of the entire field from all parts of the stadium. An LED light system lines the stadium roof's inside edge. This eliminates the need for floodlights and helps reduce shadows on the pitch. The LED lights are installed on an antibacterial, fireproof canopy with PTFE membrane that covers 30 metres (98 ft) out of 55 metres (180 ft) width of the seating area. The roof was installed by Walter P. Moore, and was specifically designed to be lightweight and separate from the seating bowls in order to improve earthquake resistance. The ground has 11 center pitches. The playing field has sensors to detect the need for water for the grass, which can automatically activate 67 fully automated underground pop-up sprinklers. The ground surface is made of Bermuda grass. The stadium has an extensive drainage system. The parking lot can accommodate 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers. A ramp leading to the stadium is designed to facilitate the movement of around 60,000 people simultaneously.

Did You Know?

• The stadium replaced Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, which hosted the 1987, 1996 and 2011 Cricket World Cups before its demolition in 2015.
• The idea to build a new stadium was proposed by Narendra Modi himself, who was president of the Gujarat Cricket Association and Chief Minister of Gujarat at the same time.
• The stadium has 76 corporate boxes that can hold 25 persons each, and a 55-room clubhouse.
• The roof was designed by Walter P. Moore to be lightweight and separate from the seating bowls to improve earthquake resistance.
• The stadium hosted the Namaste Trump event on 24 February 2020 with an approximate attendance of 125,000 people.