Top 10 Cricket Stadium in India
Cricket in India is not one of the popular but the most popular sports games. After winning the World Cup in 1983 in England, this event made a strong foundation stone for its growth. Currently, India has 2 one one-day World Cups, 2 Champions Trophies, 1 T-20 World Cup, and 8 titles in the Asia Cup. With the increase in growth, the country sees an exponential rise in infrastructure. Currently, India has many cricket academies, world-class coaches, various domestic leagues, and more than 48 international stadiums which is the highest and largest in the world. India’s top cricket stadiums are :
1. Wankhede Stadium
Wankhede Stadium is an international cricket stadium situated in Mumbai. It was opened in 1975 while playing the test match between India and West Indies. It has a capacity of appx 33,000 people. Wankhede Stadium is also called the home of Indian cricket, But now all main events take place in Narendra Modi Stadium which is the biggest stadium in the world.
Wankede Stadium hosted the final of the 2011 World Cup where India clinched the victory and became the World Cup champion second time. This stadium hosted the first women’s test match in 1984 between India and Australia.
Sunil Gavaskar Stand, Sachin Tendulkar Stand, and Vijay Marchant Stand are the famous stand of Wankhede Stadium and it is the headquarters of BCCI(Board of Control of Cricket in India) and IPL(Indian Premier League)
2. Narendra Modi Stadium
It is the largest international cricket stadium in the world. Situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It has a capacity of 1,32,000 people. Previously this stadium was known as the Motera Stadium which was rebuilt in 2020 as Narendra Modi Stadium.
In 1984-85 it hosted the first ODI(One Day International ) match between India and Australia. In the 2022 IPL final, this stadium witnessed a record attendance of 101,566
3. Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in the world situated in Kolkata with a current capacity of 68,000. It is owned by the Cricket Association of Bengal and is the home ground of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
This stadium was established in 1864 and the first test match was played here in 1934 between India vs England. In 1947 the stadium saw its capacity increase from 40,000 to 100,00 and it had a record of 110,564 attendance in 1996 between the Indian vs Sri Lanka in World Cup match.
4. M.A Chidambaram Stadium
It was Established in 1916 and is commonly known as Chepauk Stadium situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the earliest cricket stadiums in India.
Formally it is known as Madras Cricket Club Ground and it is the home ground of the Tamil Nadu Cricket team and Chennai Super Kings. In 1952 it hosted the first international test match between India and England.
5. Arun Jaitley Stadium
Arun Jaitley Stadium is an international cricket stadium situated in Delhi. It was opened in 1883 as a Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. It has a sitting capacity of 35,200 people and in 2019 it was renamed Arun Jaitley Stadium
In 1948 the first test match was played between India and the West Indies. It is the home ground of Delhi Capitals.
6. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Chinnaswamay Stadium also known as Karnataka State Cricket Association stadium situated in Bengaluru. It was established in 1969 and it is the home ground of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
In 1974 India vs West Indies played stadium first match. and it is claimed to be the world’s only solar-powered stadium.
7. Rajiv Gandhi Stadium
It a Established in 2003 with a sitting capacity of 38,000, situated in Hyderabad. It is operated by the Hyderabad Cricket Association. It is the home ground of the Hyderabad cricket team and the IPL team Sunrises Hyderabad.
In this stadium, Sachin Tendulkar had completed 17,000 ODI runs of his career, and Subman Gill made the highest individual score of 233 runs.
In 2010 the first test match was played in Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and it hosted two IPL finals in 2017 and 2019.
8. JSCA stadium
It is an international cricket stadium situated in Ranchi, Jharkhand. JSCA stadium was Established in 2011 with a sitting capacity of 50,000 and in 2017 First Test match was played between India vs Australia.
It is the home ground of the Jharkhand Cricket team and Chennai Super Kings. The two pavilions are situated on the North and south sides named after M.S. Dhoni and Amitabh Choudhary.
9. Ekana Stadium
It is also known as Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. It opened in 2017 with a sitting capacity of 50,100 in Lucknow, UP. Between 2019 and 2020 it was the home ground of the Afghanistan Cricket Team
In 2019 it hosted the first and only test match between Afghanistan and West Indies.
10. ACA Stadium
Assam Cricket Association Stadium also known as Barsapara Cricket Stadium situated in Guwahati, Assam. It was Established in 2010 with a sitting capacity of 37,000.
ACA International Stadium is the home ground of the Assam cricket team and Rajasthan Royals. In 2018 it hosted the first international ODI match between India and West Indies.
Conclusion:
Cricket in India sees exponential growth as compared to other sports. It is due to the 1983 World Cup. It helps the country build infrastructure which creates a wave of cricket in the country which helps the country to witness world-class players.