State govt transfers Moin-ul-Haq Stadium to BCA; revamp by 2028 | Patna News – Times of India
Patna: People of the state can now hope to witness a cricketing extravaganza at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium after a 28-year hiatus. The last time the stadium hosted an international match was during the 1996 World Cup when Zimbabwe and Kenya played an ODI. This time, the state govt has formally transferred the land registry to the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) on a 30-year lease.
In an encouraging move, the govt has also waived the land registry fee of approximately Rs 37 crore, a decision that had been announced earlier.
The Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, which also hosted a Hero Cup match between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in 1993, will now serve as the venue for all national and international matches organised by the BCA.
Rakesh Tiwary, the president of BCA, said, “This will be a state-of-the-art facility with a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, 76 corporate boxes and special arrangements for 250 VIPs.”
Tiwary added, “In addition to the cricket stadium, the complex will feature a badminton court, volleyball court, swimming pool, a five-star hotel, fully equipped hostel for players, restaurants, a clubhouse and other essential amenities. We will also have two small practice grounds where we can host national or state-level tournaments and allow state players to practice,” he added.
The process of transferring the land began last year when the BCA made a formal request to the state govt to hand over the land. “We requested the state govt to hand over the land to the state cricket body so that we could organise matches according to our calendar. The govt agreed and an MoU was signed between the state govt and BCA on November 6,” Tiwary said. Construction is set to begin in February 2025 after the ‘kharmas’ period. The project is expected to be completed within three years.
Tiwary revealed that the total cost of the stadium’s construction is estimated at Rs 400 crore, which will be partially funded through BCA’s own assets and the remainder through an interest-free loan from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “The state govt will renew the land lease every 30 years. For the first seven years, BCA will pay just Re 1 as a token amount. After that, the profit share will be divided equally — 50% for the state govt and 50% for BCA,” Tiwary said.
Regarding access to the stadium, Tiwary said, “There will be four approach roads to the stadium. One through Ashok Rajpath, a narrow lane; the second through Rajendra Nagar; the third through Bahadurpur; and the fourth, a metro route, is currently under construction,” he said.
“The oldest cricket stadium in Bihar is in Patna – the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. That stadium has been handed over to the BCCI. Recently, we signed an MoU with the BCCI. They will be constructing an international-standard cricket stadium. Once that is complete, we will have two international standard cricket stadiums – one in Rajgir and another in Patna,” Ravindran Sankaran, director general of Bihar State Sports Authority, had told TOI during the Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir.
In an encouraging move, the govt has also waived the land registry fee of approximately Rs 37 crore, a decision that had been announced earlier.
The Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, which also hosted a Hero Cup match between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in 1993, will now serve as the venue for all national and international matches organised by the BCA.
Rakesh Tiwary, the president of BCA, said, “This will be a state-of-the-art facility with a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, 76 corporate boxes and special arrangements for 250 VIPs.”
Tiwary added, “In addition to the cricket stadium, the complex will feature a badminton court, volleyball court, swimming pool, a five-star hotel, fully equipped hostel for players, restaurants, a clubhouse and other essential amenities. We will also have two small practice grounds where we can host national or state-level tournaments and allow state players to practice,” he added.
The process of transferring the land began last year when the BCA made a formal request to the state govt to hand over the land. “We requested the state govt to hand over the land to the state cricket body so that we could organise matches according to our calendar. The govt agreed and an MoU was signed between the state govt and BCA on November 6,” Tiwary said. Construction is set to begin in February 2025 after the ‘kharmas’ period. The project is expected to be completed within three years.
Tiwary revealed that the total cost of the stadium’s construction is estimated at Rs 400 crore, which will be partially funded through BCA’s own assets and the remainder through an interest-free loan from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “The state govt will renew the land lease every 30 years. For the first seven years, BCA will pay just Re 1 as a token amount. After that, the profit share will be divided equally — 50% for the state govt and 50% for BCA,” Tiwary said.
Regarding access to the stadium, Tiwary said, “There will be four approach roads to the stadium. One through Ashok Rajpath, a narrow lane; the second through Rajendra Nagar; the third through Bahadurpur; and the fourth, a metro route, is currently under construction,” he said.
“The oldest cricket stadium in Bihar is in Patna – the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. That stadium has been handed over to the BCCI. Recently, we signed an MoU with the BCCI. They will be constructing an international-standard cricket stadium. Once that is complete, we will have two international standard cricket stadiums – one in Rajgir and another in Patna,” Ravindran Sankaran, director general of Bihar State Sports Authority, had told TOI during the Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir.
