A new cricket stadium in Delhi with a spectator capacity of 60,000 to 70,000 is in the works and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is confident of getting land before the end of this year. A cricket academy, a separate training ground and multiple nets are part of the plan for the international stadium with the DDCA engaged in discussions with the Delhi government as well as the Centre. “The DDCA wants to build a new modern stadium within Delhi which will have world-class facilities and enhance fans’ experience. We hope to get land clearance by the end of this year. We have identified parcels of land in Delhi, including in Okhla, Dwarka, Rohini and Narela. But we want a location which has good metro and road connectivity and is also close to hotels and hospitals,” DDCA president Rohan Jaitley told The Indian Express. Letters have been written to the office of the Delhi chief minister as well as to the union government for allotment of land. A conversation also took place between chief minister Rekha Gupta, International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah – a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary – and Jaitley. “The DDCA has written to the Delhi chief minister and also the union government. On the sidelines of the Messi tour’s Delhi stopover, I had discussions with the chief minister Rekha Gupta and ICC chairman Jay Shah about the new stadium. They were both keen that a modern cricket stadium be built in the national capital,” Jaitley said. The Arun Jaitley Stadium will continue to host international matches even after the new stadium is built. The current venue with the Ambedkar Stadium — which hosts football matches — at one end and the Feroz Shah Kotla (fort) at the other end has no scope for expansion. The DDCA is hoping to get about 45 acres of land to build the new stadium. The Arun Jaitley Stadium has a current capacity of 35,000. “We are looking at a capacity of 60,000 to 70,000 with an additional ground,” Jaitley added. Story continues below this ad This is not the first time a new cricket stadium has been proposed in Delhi. In 2002-03, the BCCI, Delhi Development Authority and DDCA had plans for a sports city, but the proposal never took off.
Delhi to have all-new mega cricket stadium: Okhla, Dwarka, Narela and Rohini in race
