Uttar Pradesh, which has two international stadiums in Lucknow and Kanpur, is set to get its third one in Varanasi by December 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the stadium in his Lok Sabha constituency.
Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev attended the ceremony along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. BCCIs' key officials including President Roger Binny, BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla and BCCI secretary Jay Shah were also present.
The Uttar Pradesh government spent Rs 121 crore to acquire the land and BCCI will spend Rs 330 crore for the construction.
The stadium, which will accommodate 30,000 spectators, will be themed on Lord Shiva. Some of its key features include crescent-shaped roof canopies, trident-shaped floodlights, gallery seating that resemble Varanasi's ghat steps and metallic sheets on the facade shaped like Bilvipatra, a sacred plant offered to Lord Shiva.
"This stadium in the city of 'Mahadev' will be dedicated to 'Mahadev' himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. This stadium will become the star of Purvanchal region," the PM said while laying the stone.