# Varanasi Stadium Readied for Big Matches as UPCA Outlines Expansion Across Kanpur and Ghaziabad > The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association held its 21st AGM in Kanpur, greenlighting matches at Varanasi's newly constructed venue, revamping Green Park, and exploring CSJMU grounds. **Type:** article · **Category:** Cricket · **Published:** 2026-10-01 · **Source:** TrendKia **Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/cricket/varanasi-men-antararashtriya-stara-ka-kriketa-maidana-taiyara-upca-ne-kanpur-aura-ghaziabad-ke-lie-bhi-khola-bara-plana-40975 · **Language:** English **Tags:** Varanasi Cricket Stadium, UPCA, Rajeev Shukla, Green Park Kanpur, CSJMU Kanpur, UP T20 League, Ghaziabad Cricket, Nidhipat Singhania Uttar Pradesh is systematically expanding its cricket footprint with the completion of a major sports arena in the eastern part of the state, ensuring that premier sporting fixtures are no longer confined strictly to central hubs. For decades, elite domestic and international cricket in the state revolved around Kanpur's heritage Green Park and Lucknow's modern Ekana Stadium. However, Varanasi has now emerged as the newest cricket destination, boasting a freshly built stadium primed to stage elite action. Following the 21st annual general meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association held in Kanpur on Wednesday, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla shared that the venue is being readied to host men's fixtures featuring Indian national team cricketers, prestigious domestic matches, and premier women's tournaments. ## Varanasi Eyes Inauguration and Women's Cricket League Detailing the timeline for Varanasi, Rajeev Shukla confirmed that physical construction on the new venue has concluded. A comprehensive operational roadmap for staging competitive fixtures will be rolled out immediately following its formal inauguration ceremony. A major highlight in the UPCA pipeline is the proposal to organize a dedicated women's cricket league at the Varanasi ground. Launching marquee women's fixtures here is intended to give the Purvanchal region an unprecedented cricket launchpad, opening doors for local emerging players to showcase their skills on a professional stage. The inclusion of this world-class stadium expands the logistical capacity of the state association to host multiple concurrent fixtures across different formats. ## Ghaziabad Prepared as Western UP Anchor The state association is also focusing on broad regional decentralization by developing western Uttar Pradesh. Infrastructure efforts are actively underway to ready Ghaziabad for hosting high-profile cricket matches in the near future. Once fully operational, this network will connect Green Park in Kanpur and Ekana in Lucknow with Varanasi in the east and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region, offering broadcast-grade options across the entire territory of Uttar Pradesh. ## Green Park Retains Top Billing for Test Cricket Despite the proliferation of newer sporting venues, the historic significance of Green Park in Kanpur will remain undiminished. UPCA has reaffirmed that the iconic venue will continue to receive primary preference for traditional Test match cricket. Addressing structural upgrades, UPCA President Nidhipat Singhania highlighted that an extensive modernization drive is underway to revamp the ground. Key operational hurdles, including drainage efficiency, floodlight calibration, and spectator capacity limitations, are being systematically resolved. The Uttar Pradesh state government is providing full institutional assistance to UPCA to facilitate this transformation, ensuring that Green Park balances its legendary heritage with contemporary international hosting standards. ## CSJMU Ground Emerges as Alternate Venue in Kanpur Kanpur is also positioned to gain an additional cricket venue option within city limits. Matches could soon be staged at the newly constructed stadium located on the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University campus. Shukla clarified that UPCA's longstanding lease with Kamla Club has formally expired, prompting the association to look at university infrastructure. A formal proposal has already been submitted to the CSJMU university administration to utilize the campus stadium for organized cricket. This move guarantees that local players and domestic teams will secure supplemental ground availability for net sessions, rigorous training, and domestic calendar matches. ## Dr. Sanjay Kapoor Reappointed UP T20 League Chairman The 21st AGM also finalized crucial governance decisions surrounding the state's flagship domestic tournament, the UP T20 League. Dr. Sanjay Kapoor was reappointed as the chairman of the UP T20 League, ensuring leadership continuity for the franchise competition. Furthermore, Sanjeev Kumar Singh was inducted as an official member of the tournament governing council. The association also ratified its annual budget alongside several strategic operational resolutions. By combining the Test legacy of Kanpur, the white-ball pedigree of Lucknow, and the emerging horizons in Varanasi and Ghaziabad, UPCA is assembling a multi-city grid that grants grassroots talent abundant competitive game time right at home. ## What this means for you The expansion of cricket infrastructure across Uttar Pradesh brings top-tier matches closer to regional fans while unlocking broader training avenues for emerging cricketers. - **Across India:** The addition of international-grade venues in Uttar Pradesh gives national cricket administrators enhanced venue flexibility across dense domestic schedules. It also creates dedicated, high-capacity stages to expand tournaments like domestic women's cricket leagues. - **In Uttar Pradesh:** Fans in Purvanchal and the National Capital Region will no longer need to travel exclusively to Kanpur or Lucknow to watch marquee matches. Emerging local players will gain direct access to professional-standard training facilities across Varanasi, Ghaziabad, and university centers. - **For Women's Cricket:** The specific strategy to host women's league matches in Varanasi offers unprecedented institutional backing to female players from the state. This initiative provides young athletes in eastern Uttar Pradesh a direct path into the national competitive circuit. - **Local Hospitality and Trade:** Staging high-profile fixtures across regional hubs will stimulate local hotel occupancy, logistics services, and tourism spending. Tournament weeks regularly generate notable seasonal business opportunities for vendors and hospitality workers. ## Why this happened This infrastructural expansion stems from mounting scheduling demands on existing venues and the operational need to decentralize cricket facilities across the state. - **Congestion at Legacy Hubs:** Top-flight cricket in Uttar Pradesh was previously limited to Lucknow and Kanpur. Developing new modern grounds in other quadrants became necessary to accommodate a growing calendar of domestic, international, and franchise games. - **Lapse of Kamla Club Lease:** UPCA's operating lease agreement with Kamla Club in Kanpur reached its formal conclusion. This expiration pushed administrators to approach the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University administration to secure alternate local grounds. - **Infrastructure Bottlenecks at Green Park:** Periodic challenges regarding waterlogging, legacy floodlights, and seating capacity highlighted the urgency for modernization. The state government and UPCA joined forces to renovate Green Park so it remains equipped for classic Test fixtures. - **Regional Decentralization Strategy:** The cricket board has shifted toward building balanced sporting infrastructure across the state. This deliberate policy led to establishing a premier hub in Varanasi for the east and preparing Ghaziabad for the west. ## Questions & Answers ### 1. What is the current status of the new cricket stadium in Varanasi? The construction of the new Varanasi stadium is complete, and detailed scheduling for matches will begin immediately after its formal inauguration. ### 2. What type of matches are planned for the Varanasi cricket venue? The venue is slated to host international matches featuring the Indian men's team, domestic fixtures, and a dedicated women's cricket league. ### 3. What role will Green Park in Kanpur play moving forward? Green Park will remain the preferred venue for Test cricket while undergoing state-backed renovations to fix drainage and lighting issues. ### 4. Why is UPCA planning to utilize the CSJMU stadium in Kanpur? Following the expiration of UPCA's lease with Kamla Club, the association proposed using the university stadium for practice and domestic games. ### 5. Who has been named the chairman of the UP T20 League? Dr. Sanjay Kapoor has been reappointed as the chairman of the UP T20 League, with Sanjeev Kumar Singh joining the governing council. ### 6. Which western Uttar Pradesh city is being readied for cricket matches? Ghaziabad is actively being prepared to stage prominent cricket fixtures in the coming period. --- _TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._