Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on September 23. The new stadium, to be built near the Ring Road in Rajatalab area, is likely to be ready by December 2025.
The UP government has allocated ₹121 crore for land acquisition, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will invest ₹330 crores in the stadium’s construction.
This stadium in Varanasi marks Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket facility after Kanpur and Lucknow. The stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with designs developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium’s design is meant to capture the spirit of Kashi, with the spectator area resembling the steps of Varanasi’s ghats. They plan to finish building the stadium by December 2025.
During the event, cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sunil Gavaskar were also in attendance. Prime Minister Modi personally presented an Indian team jersey to Tendulkar.
