Karnataka’s new 80,000-seat venue in Anekal could become India’s second-largest cricket ground
For decades, Bengaluru’s cricket fans have made do with one aging stadium. That’s about to change.
The Karnataka government has officially set the wheels in motion for a brand-new international cricket stadium on the city’s southeastern outskirts — and if everything goes to plan, it will dwarf anything the state has seen before.
The Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) has floated tenders for the first phase of the project, which is to come up at Suryanagar, Indlawadi in Anekal — a location roughly 40 kilometres from the heart of Bengaluru. The price tag for phase one alone? Around Rs 950 crore, covering stadium construction, connecting roads, and allied infrastructure.
What Sparked All This
The push for a new stadium didn’t come out of nowhere. The project was approved by the state Cabinet in October 2025, following a tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium in June 2025 that claimed 11 lives. The disaster laid bare what many fans had long felt — Bengaluru’s only international cricket venue was simply not equipped to handle the demand that a city of this size generates.
The Anekal proposal was one of three submitted to the government after the stampede. The other two suggested locations were Shivaram Karanth Layout in North Bengaluru and the Bidadi Integrated Township. Anekal won out, and it’s easy to see why — it sits close to Electronics City, Bommasandra, and the busy Hosur Road corridor, making it accessible from much of South Bengaluru.
The Numbers Are Staggering
The new stadium will seat 80,000 people — more than double the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s capacity of 32,000. That gap tells its own story.
The seating won’t be a one-size-fits-all arrangement either. The design breaks it down into 76,200 general admission seats, 2,000 VIP seats, 1,000 VVIP seats, and 800 positions for wheelchair users and their companions. Once complete, the government expects it to be the second-largest cricket stadium in India.
More Than Just Cricket
The architects and planners have clearly been thinking beyond matchdays. The stadium is designed as a multi-use venue capable of hosting club, national, and international cricket matches, as well as major concerts, events, and ceremonies.
There are cultural ambitions baked in too. The stadium facade is planned to reflect Karnataka’s cultural identity and cricketing heritage, and the venue will include a Hall of Fame — a dedicated space celebrating iconic players and historic cricketing moments, with curated displays, memorabilia, and interactive digital features.
For the design geeks: the seating bowl has drawn inspiration from work by renowned structural engineering firm Walter P Moore, referencing stadiums such as AT&T Stadium in Texas and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
What Comes Next
The first phase is aimed for completion in three years. After that, a second phase will add an indoor sports arena, convention centre, aquatic centre, and outdoor court facilities — turning the complex into what planners are calling a year-round sports and entertainment destination.
It’s an ambitious vision. Whether timelines hold is another matter entirely — this is infrastructure, after all. But for a city that has waited this long for a world-class cricket venue, even the groundwork feels like a milestone worth celebrating.
Foundation stone to be laid by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on May 23, 2026.