Biggest cricket stadium in the world - Narendra Modi Stadium tops the list

The Narendra Modi Stadium is situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and is the biggest cricket stadium in the world. Also known as the Motera, the ground can hold up to 132,000 spectators inside the stadium. 

The venue was previously called Sardar Patel Stadium, named after former deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel. 

The Narendra Modi Stadium was established in 1983 and hosted its first international match, a Test between India and West Indies, in the same year.

The stadium was closed in 2015 for renovation to increase the capacity. It was reopened in 2021 and is named after the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who was also the President of Gujarat Cricket Association from 2009 to 2014. 

The cricket stadium’s capacity increased from 54,000 to 1,32,000 after the reconstruction. The Narendra Modi Stadium has hosted 14 Tests, 27 ODIs and six T20I matches so far.

Outside of the main ground, the stadium is able to accommodate several other features, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor cricket academy, badminton and tennis courts, a squash arena, a table tennis area, among many other facilities. 

India registered a famous win here at the Narendra Modi Stadium when they defeated Australia in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals. It was India’s first win against Australia in a World Cup game since 1987 and they went on to win the championship for the first time since 1983. 

The stadium staged two other group stage games not involving India during the 2011 World Cup. It also hosted one match each when the World Cup was previously held in India, in 1987 and 1996. 

After renovation, it also hosted the Indian T20 League final in 2022, where the local franchise Gujarat emerged victorious. During this final, the stadium registered an attendance of 1,04,859. 

This was a new world record attendance for a cricket match and broke the previous official attendance record held by the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s 2015 World Cup Final of 93,013 spectators.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia is the only other cricket stadium with an official capacity in excess of one lakh (1,00,024). The first ever venue to host an international match back in 1877, the MCG hosted 114 Tests, 151 ODIs and 21 T20Is. 

The Eden Gardens previously was the biggest cricket stadium in India with an official capacity of 80,000. It staged 42 Tests, 31 ODIs and 11 T20Is thus far and also two World Cup finals, in 1987 (50-over World Cup) and 2016 (T20 World Cup).

Biggest cricket stadiums in the world