- By Himanshu Badola
- Sat, 23 Sep 2023 03:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to be working on the new cricket stadium as Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Saturday.
The event took place in the presence of esteemed cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, and Dilip Vengsarkar who graced the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
On the occasion, Tendulkar even gifted an Indian cricket team shirt to PM Modi, with 'NAMO' written on the back.
#WATCH | Sachin Tendulkar with PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath at the event to mark the foundation stone laying of an international cricket stadium in Varanasi, UP pic.twitter.com/TjgIHNrelD
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2023
During the event, key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah were also present.
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The stadium in Varanasi will be Uttar Pradesh's third international cricket facility after Kanpur's Green Park Stadium and Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government is all set to spend ₹121 crore to acquire the land for the stadium while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will spend ₹330 crore on its construction.
The stadium will accommodate nearly 30,000 people at a time and the design will depict the "essence of Kashi with the thematic structure influenced by Lord Shiva.
It will feature elements such as crescent-shaped roof canopies, floodlights resembling tridents, seating arranged like ghat steps, and metallic sheets on the facade shaped like Bilvipatra.
"The whole world is getting connected with India through cricket. New countries are now coming forward to play cricket," said PM Modi at the ceremony.
"This stadium in the city of 'Mahadev' will be dedicated to 'Mahadev' himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. This stadium will become the star of Purvanchal region," he added.
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UP Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath said, “PM Modi is laying the foundation stone for International Cricket Stadium Varanasi by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Uttar Pradesh for the first time. I welcome PM Modi on behalf of every sports enthusiast in the state."
Talking about the location of the stadium, it will be built near the Ring Road in the Rajatalab area and is likely to be ready by December 2025.