Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an international cricket stadium in Varanasi. The stadium which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, will benefit local sportspersons and the economy of the state.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the stone laying ceremony of international cricket stadium in Varanasi. The cricket stadium in Varanasi, which also happens to be the Lok Sabha constituency of PM Modi in another step in the direction of creating modern, world-class sports facilities, the officials said.

Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, there were many prominent cricket personalities in that prestigious event. Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar were also invited to the stone-laying ceremony in Varanasi. During the event, key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah were present. 

The stadium will be developed jointly by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government and the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). While the UP government spent ₹121 crore on land acquisition, BCCI is projected to spend around ₹330 crore on the construction of the international stadium.

The stadium's structure is influenced by Lord Shiva, featuring elements such as crescent-shaped roof canopies, floodlights resembling tridents, seating arranged like ghat steps, and metallic sheets on the facade shaped like Bilvapatra. The stadium is designed to accommodate up to 30,000 spectators at a time.