Feroz Shah Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium
The iconic Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi is set to be renamed after former DDCA president Arun Jaitley who passed away recently on August 24. DDCA has confirmed that the renaming ceremony will take place on September 12, where a stand will also be named after Virat Kohli as well.
The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium established in 1883 in Delhi holds great sentiment for Indian cricket fans. After Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the Kotla stadium stands as the second oldest international cricket stadium in India. The ground is famously known for Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul against Pakistan.
As per recent reports, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have decided to re-title the Feroz Shah Kotla as the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Jaitley, who sadly passed away on August 24, had served as president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013.
"It was Arun Jaitley's support and encouragement that players like Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Rishabh Pant and many others could make India proud," Present DDCA president Rajat Sharma said in an official statement.
During his tenure at DDCA, Jaitley is credited with renovating the stadium into a modern facility, while also increasing its overall seating capacity to accommodate more fans and also upgrading to state-of-the-art dressing rooms for players.
The renaming ceremony function will be organized at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and will be attended by Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. Earlier, DDCA also announced their plans to name a stand after India captain Virat Kohli.