Mumbai, already home to iconic venues like Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, and DY Patil Stadium, is set to enhance its cricketing landscape with a new stadium featuring a capacity of over 1 lakh people. This new venue, which will rival Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, is being developed by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
According to a Times of India report, the MCA plans to build the new stadium 68 kilometers from Wankhede Stadium in the Thane district, specifically in Amane village, 26 kilometers from Thane. The proposed site spans 50 acres of open land.
The MCA has submitted an open tender floated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to acquire the land and is awaiting approval from the Maharashtra government. This project was a dream of the late MCA President Amol Kale, who passed away last month at the age of 47.
The announcement comes shortly after Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, advocated for a larger stadium in Mumbai. His call followed a visit to the state assembly by Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Fadnavis emphasized the need for a stadium with a capacity exceeding Wankhede’s 33,000, promising government support for the MCA and BCCI.
On July 4, Indian cricket celebrated a massive victory parade at Marine Drive, culminating in a felicitation program at Wankhede Stadium. Despite Wankhede’s historic significance and previous hosting of the 2011 World Cup final, recent World Cup finals have been held at larger venues like Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the latter accommodating up to 1,30,000 people.
In comparison, the Cricket Club of India’s (CCI) Brabourne Stadium can host 20,000 spectators, while Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium has a capacity of 45,000. The new stadium aims to bolster Mumbai’s status as a premier cricketing destination by providing a venue that meets the growing demand for larger spectator capacity.
