Tamil Nadu considers plans for huge new cricket stadium

The government in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is reportedly planning on building a new cricket stadium in Coimbatore that could seat more than 100,000 fans.

According to the DT Next newspaper, the government has floated tenders with a view to preparing a detailed project file. The report, citing officials in the state government’s sports department, said that a design consultant is being sought to explore the plans.

Bidders would be required to submit their proposals within a month. The proposed site for the stadium is said to be around 16 kilometres from the city centre in Coimbatore. It would be built on 198 acres of land.

Features of the stadium would include “five-star” VIP and corporate facilities, a restaurant and a museum, as well as an indoor practice field, a members’ clubhouse and a sports bar. Lord’s Cricket Ground in London is reportedly being used as a case study for the stadium, along with MA Chidambaram Stadium (pictured) in Chennai and M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Last month, reports emerged that the Mumbai Cricket Association was considering building a new stadium that would have a capacity of 100,000. The stadium would be located in the village of Amane, in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

The biggest stadium in India – and the largest in the world – is Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Populous-designed stadium has a capacity of 132,000 and hosted the Cricket World Cup final in 2023.