script) -->
 

Moti Baug Stadium


Moti Bagh Stadium, formerly known as the Motibaug Palace Ground is the official home ground of the Vadodara (erstwhile Baroda) cricket team. The cricket stadium has many a claim to its fame, the biggest being the fact that the Moti Bagh Stadium is supposedly the largest cricket stadium in the continent of Asia.

The first milestone in the history of the cricket stadium occurred on 9th November 1983 when India played against West Indies at the same venue. The stadium is sited in the epicenter of the city of Vadodara. The stadium has also boasts of a glorious history. It sprawls across the rambling acres of the Laxmi Vilas Palace gardens, the residence of the rulers of the Gaekwad dynasty. In fact, Vadodara city was a part of the kingdom of the Gaekwad Empire and the rulers being patrons of good cricket sponsored the establishment of a cricket ground within the premises of their luxuriant and well tended grounds. In the earlier days, the stadium used to host many a One Day International (ODI) matches, the last of which was held on 17th December 1988. However, the venue of the ODI matches has shifted to the newer fIPCL Sports Complex Ground.

The 700 acre sports complex has a net seating capacity of over 18,000 people. Another feather in the historic stadium's already brimming cap is that it was in the precincts of this stadium that Mohammad Azharuddin broke Zaheer Abbas's world record and hit the world's fastest century off a mere 62 balls. This record was however broken by Virender Sehwag in the year 2007.

In short, the Moti Bach cricket stadium is a hallmark of the outstanding feats of Vadodara sports as well as the rich legacy of the Vadodara culture.



Last Updated on: 8/05/2013