The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to add another stadium to its long list of international venues as the Indian cricket board launches a 300-crore project to build a stadium in Varanasi. BCCI in partnership with the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is building a stadium in Varanasi which will be able to host international matches once it is ready. Notably, this will be the third international venue in the state with two of them already up and running in Kanpur and Lucknow.
The third stadium will be built in Ganjari village in Rajatalab tehsil (of Varanasi) and a 31-acre land has already been identified and purchased by the state government. The land will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the end of this month, according to officials. BCCI's honorary secretary Jay Shah and BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla had visited Varanasi earlier this week in this regard.
"The Uttar Pradesh government has identified around 31 acres of land in Ganjari village in Rajatalab tehsil (of Varanasi) for the construction of the international cricket stadium. It will be the third such stadium in the state after Green Park in Kanpur and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana stadium in Lucknow, where international matches will be played," UPCA director Yudhvir Singh was quoted saying by PTI on Sunday.
He said the construction work of the new stadium will commence by May-June this year, and the stadium is likely to be completed by the end of 2024. "The cost of construction of the proposed cricket stadium is around Rs 300 crore," Singh said.
The report also claimed that the stadium will accommodate as close to 30,000 spectators and it will be ready by 2024.