Patna: Work has begun on the long-awaited redevelopment of Patna’s Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, raising hopes that International and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches could return to Bihar’s capital in the coming years.
Soil samples were collected from multiple locations across the stadium complex on Thursday as part of preliminary technical assessments. Officials said the samples would be tested to determine whether the ground is suitable for the construction of multi-storey structures, a key requirement for the proposed international-standard cricket complex.
An agreement between the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) and the executing agency is expected to be signed on January 30. The contract for rebuilding the stadium has been awarded to Sivans Infrastructure Development Private Limited, a Lucknow-based firm, which will oversee the transformation of the ageing venue into a modern sporting facility.
The Bihar government has handed over the stadium to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on a 30-year lease. Although the project was originally scheduled to begin in January 2025, it was delayed due to administrative and logistical reasons and is now running almost a year behind schedule. The revised completion deadline has been set for 2029.
According to project details, the redeveloped Moin-ul-Haq Stadium will have a seating capacity of around 40,000 and feature international-standard amenities. Plans include upgraded dressing rooms, separate facilities for home and visiting teams, a gym, spa, physiotherapy unit and dedicated dining areas.
The complex will also house indoor cricket facilities for off-season training, practice nets, tennis courts, conference and seminar halls, video analysis rooms and a central physiotherapy centre. In addition to cricket infrastructure, the project envisions courts for badminton and volleyball, a five-star hotel and a state-of-the-art residential hostel for players.
Once completed, the redevelopment is expected to position Patna as a viable venue for top-tier domestic and international sporting events, marking a significant upgrade to Bihar’s sporting infrastructure.
