List of Top 10 Indian Cricket Stadiums
While most of the cricket fans in India mostly focus on Indian cricketers, a few of them think about the great international Indian cricket stadiums that we have in our country. We should ample knowledge about them too as cricket fans as, after all, they are a part of our rich cricket-related heritage. Knowing their history in detail is quite important as it helps us to understand the growth of cricket in our country. So, here we present you with the top 10 Indian cricket stadiums!
- Sardar Patel Stadium
City- Ahmedabad
State- Gujarat
Capacity- 1,10,000
First up on this list is Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. This venue has the honour of being the largest ever cricket stadium globally. It was completely reconstructed after being demolished in 2015 and was then inaugurated in 2020.
It has the honor of being the host of the matches of 2011, 1996, and 1987 World Cups. The stadium in its current form was build at the cost of a whopping 800 Crore INR by contractor Larsen and Toubro.
The first test here was played in the year 1983 while the first ODI was played a year later. The local region where it is located is known as Motera. The stadium was also in the news last year for being the host of an event known as ‘Namaste Trump’ in which US President Donald Trump gave a speech here with Narendra Modi.
- Pankaj Roy Stadium
City- Kolkata
State- West Bengal
Capacity- 80,000
This is the oldest cricket stadium in India which was founded in 1864 and it used to be the largest cricket stadium before the Sardar Patel Stadium was commissioned in 2020. Another surprising fact about this stadium is that it is owned by the Indian Army.
The first test match here was played in the year 1934 between India and the England cricket team. This ground is also the home ground of the IPL (Indian Premier League) team Kolkata Knight Riders. The first ODI meanwhile here was played in 1987 between India and Pakistan.
The stadium had to undergo some renovations before the World Cup in the year 2011 to adhere to the guidelines set up by the then ICC. We do highly recommend you to watch a cricket game here at this stadium because it offers a really great experience.
- Greenfield International Stadium
City- Thiruvananthapuram
State- Kerala
Capacity- 55,000
Another name for this stadium is ‘The Sports Hub’. It is one of India’s newly started cricket stadium since it was opened for use just 6 years back in 2015. The stadium is yet to host its first test cricket match but it did host the first ODI match in 2018 which was played by India against West Indies.
While on the other hand, it hosted its first T20I game in 2017. The owner of this stadium is the Kerala University which has leased it to the Kerala Cricket Association. The stadium also has its own website, thesportshub.in. It is currently being operated on the DBOT (Design, Build, Operate and Transfer) model.
Interestingly, the stadium also hosts football matches. We hope that it is given a chance to organize its first-ever test cricket match. Another great thing about this stadium is that it is an eco-friendly stadium.
- Rajiv Gandhi Stadium
City- Hyderabad
State- Telangana
Capacity- 55,000
The home ground of IPL (Indian Premier League) team Sunrisers Hyderabad, the stadium was built in the suburb known as Uppal. Its construction was completed in the year 2003 and it is owned and operated by the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
The first test here on this ground was held in 2010 between the Indian cricket team and New Zealand. While the first-ever ODI here was played 5 years earlier amongst India and South Africa. The ground hosted its first-ever T20I much later in the year 2017.
The stadium has been named after former Indian Prime Minister Shree. Rajiv Gandhi. The venue also has organized two IPL final matches in 2017 and 2019. The reason behind building this stadium was the other stadium in Hyderabad was much smaller and hence no matches of importance were held there.
- M.A. Chidambaram Cricket Stadium
City- Chennai
State- Tamil Nadu
Capacity- 54,000
Another one of its names is Chepauk Stadium. It was built in the year 1916 when the city of Chennai used to be known as Madras and hence was also known as Madras Cricket Club Ground. It also holds the record for being the third oldest stadium in India after Pankaj Roy Stadium in Kolkata (which was known as Eden Gardens before).
The name Chepauk has come from the fact that the stadium is in the Chepauk area of Chennai. The ground is also the home ground of the famous IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings which is also known as the CSK.
The first test match here was played in the year 1934 between India and England.
- Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium
City- Lucknow
State- Uttar Pradesh
Capacity- 50,000
While it is located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, it is also the home ground of the Afghanistan cricket team. It has been named after one of the greatest Prime Ministers of India, Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
This ground too is one of the latest grounds to have brought into service as it was inaugurated in the year 2017. Its owner and operator are Ekana Sportz City. The first-ever international match that was played here was a T20I match in 2018 between India and West Indies. While the first-ever test match was played in 2019 between Afghanistan and West Indies.
The first ODI here too was played as a part of the same tour in 2019 between the same two teams.
- JSCA Stadium
City- Ranchi
State- Jharkhand
Capacity- 50,000
Owned by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association, it is yet to be named after a great personality or cricketer. It is considered to be the second home ground of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings after Chepauk. The story behind its construction is quite interesting as it involves the JSCA’s dispute with Tata steel.
Another great fact about this stadium is that it also happens to be the home ground of former Indian captain, MS Dhoni. He also has an end named after him in the stadium. The first-ever test here was played in 2017 between Australia and India. While the first-ever ODI was played here much earlier in 2013 amongst England and India.
- Barabati Stadium
City- Cuttack
State- Odisha
Capacity- 45,000
Another cricket stadium in India in which football is also played. This ground is another one that belongs to the older generation of cricket grounds in India as it was established in the year 1958. While the ground might have been quite old in age, yet it has been host to just 2 test matches in total.
Yes, you read it right. It has hosted just 2 tests. Besides that, if we talk about ODIs, then it has managed to host just 19 ODIs. The first test match here was played in 1987 between India and the Sri Lankan cricket team.
While the first ODI here was played in 1982 against the English cricket team. This particular ground can be referred to as the most neglected important grounds in Indian cricket.
- Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium
City- Nagpur
State- Maharashtra
Capacity- 45,000
Operated by the Vidarbha cricket association, it is the largest stadium in India in terms of the total area of the field. It has been praised by a lot of people from India and around the world including the ICC itself for the facilities which it provides to the players.
Inaugurated in 2008, it has organized 6 test matches till now including 12 T20Is and 9 ODIs. The first test on this ground was played in 2008 itself between Australia and India while the first ODI was played a year later against the Sri Lankan cricket team.
This ground was also the host to 4 matches of the 2011 ICC cricket world cup. Hopefully, we will see a lot of cricket on this ground in the near future.
10. Arun Jaitley Stadium
City- New Delhi
Capacity- 42,000
Named after the famous BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) politician, Arun Jaitley, this stadium was formerly known as Firoz Shah Kotla Ground. It is the 2nd oldest cricket ground in India since it was established in the year 1883.
The name change to Jaitley’s namesake wasn’t received well by former international cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi. A twist came in the controversy as it was revealed that the stadium was renamed by the DDCA and that the ground is still going to be referred to as Firoz Shah Kotla.
Jaitley in fact was once a president of the DDCA. The first test match on this ground took place in 1948 between India and West Indies. While the first-ever ODI here was played in 1982 against the Sri Lankan cricket team.
The ground was also surrounded by controversy when it was banned by the ICC in 2009. Due to poor pitch conditions.
Conclusion
We hope that the list of top 10 Indian cricket stadiums would have provided you with enormous information on the stadiums that are in India. Do feel free to drop suggestions about other stadiums that we should be adding to this list in the comments section.
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