Lucknow's Ekana Stadium renamed after one of India's tallest leaders

Lucknow is all set to host its first international match on Thursday with India and Windies locking horns in the second T20I of the three-match series. Ahead of the game, the Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to rename the Lucknow Stadium after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India’s former Prime Minister.

The stadium, which was called Ekana International Cricket Stadium, was given the name of “Bharat Ratan Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium” on Monday, November 5. The ground in the state capital was given the nod to stage an international game last year.

UP Governor Ram Naik approved the government’s initial proposal of renaming the stadium after the late Prime Minister, while Principal Secretary (Housing) Nitin Ramesh Gokaran has issued the orders for the change of the stadium’s name.

According to the Times of India, the officials of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) confirmed that they made an agreement regarding the same under clause 17.5.1 with Ekana Sports City Private Ltd, GC Constructions and Development Industries Pvt Ltd. The LDA also revealed that the ground will be known as Vajpayee Stadium once the project is done and dusted.

Cricket takes precedence over Diwali in Lucknow

The Indian Cricket Team and the visiting Windies team arrived in Lucknow on Monday, and were greeted with a rousing welcome. Despite it being the season of the widely celebrated Diwali festival, the fact that the sport is coming to the city for the first time has taken precedence over festivities. Tickets for the match that were on sale online have all been sold out well before the start of the match on November 6.

Several ministers, bureaucrats and police officials are expected to be present at the stadium for its inaugural international fixture, which will certainly be a matter of pride for the city of Lucknow. India currently lead the 3-match T20I series 1-0 after defeating the Windies quite comfortably in Kolkata on Sunday.

The hosts were clinical in the first innings and bundled out Carlos Brathwaite‘s side of a mere 109 runs. They fumbled during the chase initially, but Dinesh Karthik and debutant Krunal Pandya saw them through with 5 wickets to spare.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the India vs West Indies series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.