Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium

Proposed Cricket stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Purbachal International Cricket Stadium

Former names| Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium
Location| Sector 1, Purbachal Expressway, Purbachal, Dhaka
Coordinates| 23°50′10″N 90°28′53″E﻿ / ﻿23.8362°N 90.4815°E﻿ / 23.8362; 90.4815
Public transit| MRT Line 1
Owner| Bangladesh Cricket Board
Operator| Bangladesh Cricket Board
Executive suites| 120
Capacity| 50,000 (expandable to 70,000)[1]
Acreage| 38 acres (15 ha)
Surface| Australian grass
Construction
Broke ground| 28 November 2019
Construction cost| ৳1300 crore (US$110 million)
Architect| Populous
Main contractors| Populous
Rajuk
Tenants
Bangladesh national cricket team
Dhaka Dynamites
(Starting 2026-27 season)

Purbachal International Cricket Stadium (Bengali: পূর্বাচল আন্তর্জাতিক ক্রিকেট স্টেডিয়াম) was a proposed cricket stadium located in Sector-1 of multi-billion dollar Purbachal New Town on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh.[2]

The stadium is going to be built by Bangladesh Cricket Board and it is the second stadium after Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium, Cox's Bazar which is fully owned by BCB. Planned to open in 2026, the stadium will serve as the headquarter of Bangladesh Cricket Board, home to Bangladesh national cricket team and Dhaka franchise of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).[3]

## Overview

[edit]

SHICS will be developed as a multi-function area. After the inauguration of the stadium, Bangladesh Cricket Board will shift its headquarter to this venue from Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Other than a cricket stadium, the complex will also have indoor sports and water sports facilities. Other than the sports facilities, transit-oriented development with a five-star hotel would be developed in the stadium area. An outer stadium with a capacity of at least 2,500 spectators will also be developed which can be used for art performances besides sports.[1]

The stadium is being constructed in Sector I of Purbachal New Town, in close proximity to multi-billion dollars Iconic City development project. The stadium will have five-storied pavilion, 3-tier stands with a capacity of 50,000, and the option to add at least 25,000 additional seats. The budget for the development of the stadium is estimated at ৳1300-crores ($140 million), making it the most expensive cricket stadium in Asia.[4] From the budget, ৳37 crores were allocated towards the development of a separate practice facility for Bangladesh national cricket team. In April 2023, BCB also expressed its view to accommodate five other sports federations of the country on the premise of this venue.[5]

## Development

[edit]

The venue is located in about 38 acres (15 ha) of land east of Turag River at Purbachal Express Highway. Groundbreaking of the ৳1100 crore (US$92 million) stadium began in November 2019 and is expected to be completed by December 2022.[6] Upon completion in 2022, The stadium will become the third largest-ever cricket stadium in terms of capacity, and the most expensive cricket stadium in Asia.[7][8][9][10]

In August 2019, the Bangladesh Cricket Board released a notice of Expression of Interest (EOI), inviting consultancy firms to submit detailed designs and construction plans for the stadium.[11] But the designing and construction process was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2022, Australia-based architectural firm Populous was awarded the contract to design and build the stadium in a 30-months timeframe.[12][13]

In April 2023, it was reported that BCB sent a letter to National Board of Revenue seeking custom duties and tax exemptions on the construction materials and all types of expenses related to this project.[14] In November 2023, BCB invited tenders from international firms for the construction of the stadium.[15]

On 29 August 2024, a while after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from office and fled the country, during the first board meeting held after Faruque Ahmed became president of BCB, the tender process of the stadium's construction was canceled. The name and design of the stadium will also be changed.[16] Ahmed has also stated later on that BCB could not afford the fund for the stadium project.[17]

## See also

[edit]

* List of megaprojects in Bangladesh
* Stadiums in Bangladesh

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b ১০ লাখ টাকায় ৩৭.৪৯ একর জমি পেয়েছে বিসিবি. Prothom Alo. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
2. ^ "The international stadium project has been cancelled. It may be built in a new design for the home ground". Prothom Alo. 27 August 2024.
3. ^ "PM wants 70k capacity venue". The Daily Star. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
4. ^ "BCB eyes bigger stadium than Eden Gardens". Sportstar. The Hindu. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
5. ^ "BCB to house five feds at new stadium". New Age. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
6. ^ "Construction of Sheikh Hasina Int'l Cricket Stadium to begin this winter". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
7. ^ "Asia's most costly cricket stadium to be built in Bangladesh!". Daily Bangladesh. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
8. ^ "Purbachal to be first smart city by 2018". The New Nation. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
9. ^ "Govt to make new stadium in Purbachal". archive.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
10. ^ ইডেনের চেয়েও বড়, বাংলাদেশে তৈরি হচ্ছে এশিয়ার সবচেয়ে ব্যয়বহুল স্টেডিয়াম. Ananda Bazar (in Bengali). Retrieved 27 January 2020.
11. ^ "Expression of Interest for Sheikh Hasina Cricket Stadium" (PDF). BCB. 24 August 2019.
12. ^ "Populas to get Sheikh Hasina Stadium contract". www.dhakatribune.com. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
13. ^ "BCB signs 48-month contract with Populous Architecture for construction of Sheikh Hasina Stadium in Purbachal". The Business Standard. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
14. ^ প্রতিবেদক, ক্রীড়া. "নির্মাণ ব্যয় কমাতে রাজস্ব বোর্ডকে বিসিবির চিঠি". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 April 2023.
15. ^ "Advertisement for the International Contractor for Sheikh Hasina Cricket Stadium". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
16. ^ "Tender for Sheikh Hasina stadium canceled". The Business Standard. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
17. ^ "Faruk: We can't afford a big budget for Purbachal Stadium". Dhaka Tribune. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

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