The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will send a team to inspect its newly constructed stadium in Varanasi next week. If the venue meets the board’s requirements, it could host Under-19 matches soon.
The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is keen to host Women’s Premier League (WPL) matches in Varanasi next year. As part of the preparations, the board plans to organise a few matches at the venue to test the newly laid pitches.
“The work is complete. We will need a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the BCCI before competitive cricket can be played here. The UPCA wants the board to schedule some of the ongoing Under-19 matches at the venue to test the pitches. The BCCI will send its team to inspect the stadium next week, following which it will submit a report to the board. We are hopeful of getting some Under-19 matches, which will help us assess whether the pitches are up to the mark,” a source said.
Spread across 31 acres, the stadium has been built at a cost of around Rs 450 crore. It features trishul-shaped floodlights, a crescent-shaped roof and a damru-shaped media centre. The stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000 and modern facilities, including an upgraded drainage system that is expected to make the ground playable within 30 minutes of heavy rainfall, according to officials. The UPCA currently hosts competitive matches in Kanpur and Lucknow. With Varanasi, it will add a third venue, catering to fans in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.
In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the international cricket stadium in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were among the dignitaries present at the event. Before delivering his speech, Modi was presented with a signed bat by then BCCI president Roger Binny and then BCCI secretary Jay Shah.