Maharashtra CM Fadnavis bats for MCG-esque stadium in Navi Mumbai

Mumbai will soon have a stadium similar in size, scale and facilities to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

"I am told that the Melbourne Cricket Ground - with its 85,000-plus capacity - is seamlessly vacated within 20 minutes after every match and offers an uninterrupted view from every seat in the stadium. I feel we should aspire to match those standards," Fadnavis said during the unveiling of the Ravi Shastri Stand at the Wankhede on Thursday evening.

"Everyone feels that Mumbai should host the big final; that's why the city needs a bigger stadium. All of us are working towards it. We recently reviewed a plot of land in Navi Mumbai along with Ajinkya Naik (president of the Mumbai Cricket Association). We have almost finalised a piece of land that is very well connected," the Chief Minister further said.

The Chief Minister was responding to a request made by Naik, who minutes earlier had said that Mumbai should have a stadium big enough to host the final of a global event. The last final the city hosted was in 2011, when the memorable 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final was held there. Since then, the city has hosted three semifinals at ICC events - the 2016 T20 World Cup, the 2023 World Cup, and the recent 2026 T20 World Cup.

Fadnavis was the chief guest at the function where the MCA named three Wankhede Stadium gates after former greats - Diana Edulji, Eknath Solkar and Dilip Sardesai.

"With Ajinkya having seen the land and been involved in the process, I am sure we will come up with the best stadium in the country. We will only allot the land; they (MCA) will undertake the construction. We will do our best," Fadnavis told the gathering which included many former and current India cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar. India's T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav was felicitated on the occasion.

The Chief Minister declared that no matter how big the proposed new stadium may be, the value of Wankhede will never be diminished. "It doesn't matter how many new stadia we build - Wankhede Stadium will always be Wankhede. It will forever remain the iconic cricket venue in Mumbai, and we will continue to celebrate the game there. As a state government, we will always do our best to empower the MCA," Fadnavis said to the applause of the gathering at the Wankhede.

On the occasion, Fadnavis stated that lease agreements of Mumbai's Maidans will be renewed soon. "I would like to reassure the Mumbai Cricket Association that all impending issues related to the extension of the maidan lease - some of which have been pending for two decades - will be resolved during my tenure."

Shastri, a former India and Mumbai captain, became emotional on seeing the stand being named after him. In his trademark stentorian voice and dramatic style, he recalled an incident at the ground and linked it to the stand, explaining how he would call that moment live on air.

"There's one favourite shot of mine on this Wankhede Stadium. You know, you've hit sixes galore, you've played over a span of 15 years, various forms of cricket. But it was against Australia. I think Dilip (Vengsarkar) was the non-striker. It was just after I reached 100. And I hit Bruce Reid on top of the 'Ravi Shastri Stand'.

So if I was doing commentary for that today (it would be), 'It's Reid, it's Shastri on strike. Shastri goes big. It's on the roof of the Ravi Shastri Stand. It brings down a block from there. It's six more, one of the biggest scenes at the Wankhede,'" the noted commentator said in his inimitable style, thanking everyone present for the honour.