2023 World Cup: Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium geared up for mega event with upgrades

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here is hosting five matches in this World Cup, which begins at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. The facilities at the stadium have been upgraded for the marquee tournament.

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Only three days are left for the start of the ODI World Cup. The M. Chinnaswamy stadium here is hosting five matches in this World Cup, which begins at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

Five-time champions Australia will take on Pakistan on October 20 at the stadium, and then defending champions England take on Sri Lanka on October 26. New Zealand will face Pakistan on November 4 and New Zealand will clash with Sri Lanka on November 9. Hosts India take on the Netherlands on November 12 at the famed stadium here. For the matches, some important facilities in the stadium have been upgraded.

Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has the capacity to accommodate 40,000 spectators, is the first stadium in the country to have a 'sub-air' system to deal with rain-affected situations, a solar panel system on roofs for electricity, and a rainwater recycling system.

After the final list of stadiums for this World Cup was announced, a team comprising International Cricket Council officials visited Bengaluru and gave some suggestions. Accordingly, the roof of some stands of the stadium was changed, the seats were replaced, and the dining area of the media room was completely upgraded.

Dressing room: The players' dressing room has undergone a major makeover and the flooring was completely changed. The dressing room toilets have been upgraded.

Hospitality Box: The stadium comprises four boxes namely P2, P, P-Terrace and Diamond where fans can watch the matches with dining and luxury facilities. The Diamond box, next to the players' dressing room, is reserved for special guests.

Player's practice: Chinnaswamy Stadium has five pitches for practice sessions. Apart from this, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ground will also be used for the practice.

Pitch: Three pitches have been identified by the ICC for international matches. Among them, the red clay pitch is the most used. Also, the fourth pitch is marked as a stand-by.

'Sub-air' system: The M. Chinnaswamy Ground has the best 'sub-air' technology to avoid cancellation of matches due to rain. Due to this facility, the outfield will be ready for the game in 15-20 minutes as soon as the rain stops. In 2017, this technology was installed in Chinnaswamy at a cost of Rs 4.25 crore in collaboration with 'Sub Air Company' of the United States. As a best example, recently the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans saw play of complete overs and this result is seen as a testimony of the performance of the system.

Entrance gates: Chinnaswamy Stadium has 21 entrance gates and the main gate opposite the Cubbon Park is restricted to players and VIPs. All other entrances will be open three hours before the match starts. Karnataka State Cricket Association and ticket agency staff will assist the spectators coming for the matches.

Media Box: Good seating and uninterrupted viewing arrangements are made here for journalists.

Environmental conservation: As part of the conservation of the environment, the Stadium already has solar panels for electricity supply and a rainwatering system. Apart from that crushing and recycling machines for used plastic bottles in the stadium are being installed this time.

Medical and transportation assistance: Medical personnel and emergency service ambulances will also be present near the stadium during each match to facilitate any unforeseen adverse conditions.

The Metro rail service will be available till 1 AM on the match days.