Mumbai, April 9 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday that Mumbai will soon have a larger stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has set aside land for this purpose.
"It will be a stadium with more capacity and located in a place where the crowd can disperse in 20 minutes and the match can be viewed very well from any place on the stands," Fadnavis said during an event at the Wankhede Stadium to honour the cricket legends of Mumbai.
"But no matter how big the new stadium is, it can never match the stature of Wankhede Stadium, where cricket will always be celebrated," he said.
"All of us want the final match of any tournament to be in Mumbai. We will have a bigger stadium, but Wankhede is iconic and we will always celebrate cricket at this stadium," he said.
Fadnavis also promised to look into the demands of the MCA for the restoration of smaller grounds in the metropolis.
He said that grounds like the Oval and Cross Maidan were affected due to Metro rail works and they are being restored.
The naming of the stadium's stands and gates after iconic cricketers was a great way to celebrate the icons who have enriched Indian cricket, Fadnavis said.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik and City And Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) Managing Director Vijay Singhal engaged in detailed discussions to chart the roadmap for this landmark infrastructure.
The proposed stadium, with a planned seating capacity of 1,00,000 spectators, is envisioned to be among the largest cricket venues globally. Designed as a state-of-the-art facility, the project aims to set new benchmarks in sporting infrastructure, fan experience, and integrated urban development.