Introduction
Narendra Modi Stadium, With 132,000 seats, the Narendra Modi venue (previously Motera Stadium) in Ahmedabad, India, is the biggest cricket venue in the world. It took the place of the Sardar Patel Stadium in 2015 and is owned by the Gujarat Cricket Association. Populous designed it, while Larsen & Toubro constructed it at a cost of ₹800 crore. It was renamed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's honor in 2021. It played host to both the 2023 ICC World Cup final and its inaugural Test match in 2021.
History
1982–2006
Renamed in honor of India's first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, it was formerly known as Gujarat Stadium. Since its nine-month construction in 1982, it has played host to international cricket matches. Two notable events are Kapil Dev's record-breaking wickets and Sunil Gavaskar's 10,000 Test runs. hosted World Cup matches for cricket. The amazing performance of Javagal Srinath in 1996 versus South Africa is still remembered.
2006–2015
Following renovations that included the addition of pitches, an outfield, floodlights, and covered stands, the stadium played host to five matches in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. 2010 saw Kane Williamson make his Test match debut against India, scoring a century. Three World Cup 2011 matches, featuring Sachin Tendulkar's 18,000th ODI run against Australia in the quarterfinals.
2015–2020 construction of new stadium
The stadium was demolished in October 2015 in order to rebuild it at a cost of about ₹800 crore (US$100 million). The renovation, which was initially scheduled to be completed in 2019, was completed in February 2020.
Conception
Even before he was elected prime minister, Narendra Modi had dreamed of creating the new stadium. He passed on making small improvements in favor of a bigger stadium.
Bids
Deconstruction started in late 2015. A tender request was made in January 2016, and nine bidders expressed interest. Three offers were submitted: Larsen & Toubro, Nagarjuna Construction Company, and Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Bids were assessed by STUP Consultants and a Tender Commercial Committee according to a number of criteria, including efficiency and completion time.
Building work
Construction was started by L&T in December 2016 and was supervised by the Gujarat Cricket Association starting on January 16, 2017. The project, which was expected to cost ₹700 crore ($93 million), was intended to be completed in two years. After completion in February 2020, a day-night test match was held in 2021. “Span Asia” worked together on the food and beverage divisions with Populous and L&T.
2020–present
“Namaste Trump” drew 125,000 people in 2020. In February 2021, the stadium was renamed “Narendra Modi Stadium”. PM Modi gave the national games of 2022 their opening. It is home to the Gujarat Titans of the Indian Premier League, hosted the 2022 and 2023 IPL finals, and played host to its first Test match and Day-Night match (England vs. India). Five ICC World Cup 2023 matchups are planned, including Australia vs. England and India vs. Pakistan.
Stadium design and facilities
Situated on 63 acres, the Narendra Modi stadium boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool, four changing rooms, a clubhouse, and 76 corporate boxes arranged in a two-tier configuration. It features a distinctive Walter P. Moore roof design with LED lights and “Y shape columns” to provide unhindered vistas. It features 11 center pitches, cutting-edge turf management, 360 degree LED lighting, indoor tennis courts, badminton, and cricket, as well as plenty of parking. As of November 2023, plans for a skywalk bridge to the metro station are still in the works.