Sardar Patel Stadium (; Motera Stadium) is one of the premier
Cricket stadiums of
India located in the
Motera locality of
Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called
Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another
stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel stadium is owned by
Gujarat Cricket Association and comes under the aegis of the West Zone. It is the largest stadium in the state of
Gujarat, and has an official capacity of 54,000 spectators. It is equipped with floodlights for day-and-night games and is a regular venue for
Test cricket and
One Day Internationals (ODI) matches.
Formerly known as the Gujarat Stadium, the ground was later renamed in tribute to
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first
Home Minister and
Deputy Prime Minister. Apart from cricket, the ground has played host to a number of programs arranged by the
Government of Gujarat. The pitch once favoured the bowlers, but has lately been host to competitive games.
As of March 2011, the Motera stadium has played host to 22 ODI matches. In India, only
Eden Gardens (25 ODI matches) and
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (23 ODI matches) have hosted more ODI matches than Motera Stadium. The stadium was also one of the host venues for
2011 Cricket World Cup held in India. It hosted 3 matches, including a Quarter final match between India and Australia.