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Work begins on Jaipur’s 75,000-seat cricket stadium

A virtual event has been held to mark the official commencement of work on a new 75,000-seat stadium near Jaipur that will become the third largest cricket venue in the world.

Plans for the stadium in the Indian city took a significant step forward last summer as the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) secured the land for the project.

The stadium will be located 25km from Jaipur on land near the village of Chonp. It will be the third largest cricket stadium in the world after Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

On Friday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly attended a virtual event which served as a ‘foundation stone laying ceremony’.

Indian news agency PTI reports that RCA officials performed a bhoomi pujan, a ritual which centres on prayers being offered before work on a construction project begins.

It is hoped the stadium will be built in three years. The RCA is also planning on building smaller stadiums in Jodhpur and Udaipur as it looks to strengthen Rajasthan’s cricket venue portfolio.

Gehlot said: “Today is a golden day for Rajasthan cricket. Former RCA president C P Joshi dreamt of the association having its own stadium in Jaipur. The atmosphere of professional cricket is being created in Rajasthan.”

Plans for the stadium were first revealed in July 2020. The stadium is being designed by Indore-based Mehta & Associates, along with Delhi-based sports design architect GRAS.

The stadium complex is planned across 100 acres of land and will also include a multi-purpose training academy, a modern club house with an indoor sports facility, plus the potential to include two additional international-standard cricket grounds with 30 practice nets.

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