AHMEDABAD: The world’s biggest cricket stadium, with space for 110,000 spectators, is taking shape in India and is likely to host its first international match early next year.

The new stadium in Ahmedabad, built at a cost of around $100 million, will seat more fans than Australia’s Melbourne Cricket Ground which can accommodate around 100,000 spectators.

According to reports, the Sardar Patel Stadium is expected to host its first match in March with an exhibition game between an Asia XI and a World XI as the inaugural game.

The stadium will have more than 70 corporate boxes, four dressing rooms, a clubhouse and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Its construction began in January 2017.

It will overtake Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, currently India’s biggest stadium with a capacity of 66,000 — down from 100,000 after a major rebuilding project.

India, the world’s top-ranked Test team, has more than a dozen stadiums capable of holding international cricket matches. Test matches, however, often attract sparse crowds.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2019