Which is the only closed-roof cricket stadium in the world?

Cricket fans across the world were eagerly waiting for the IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 28. However, rain forced the BCCI to postpone the match to the reserve day.

While Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium has a seating capacity of 1,32,000 and world-class drainage facilities, the venue could not host the game on Sunday because of the relentless rain.

Some fans on social media opined that the authorities should think of constructing a retractable roof in some of the top Indian stadiums so that matches are not affected by rain. A retractable roof turns the stadium into a massive dome, with the matches being played indoors when the rain starts.

The only cricket stadium in the world with a retractable roof is Melbourne's Docklands Stadium. It is also known as the Marvel Stadium.

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What happens if a ball hits the roof in a cricket match at the Docklands Stadium?

During the ICC T20 World Cup last year in Australia, quite a few members of the cricket universe suggested moving some games to the Docklands Stadium so that rain did not force important group-stage matches to be abandoned.

While the ICC did not allow conducting matches at the Docklands Stadium, the venue has hosted Big Bash League (BBL) matches regularly.

BBL team Melbourne Renegades play their home games at the Marvel Stadium only. The roof is only 38 meters (125 feet) above the playing surface.

Many big hitters send the ball high in the sky, which is why it often asked what happens if the ball hits the closed stadium's roof.

As per the BBL rules, the batting team gets six runs if a shot from one of the batters hits the roof. Four years ago, when Perth Scorchers batter Ashton Turner's shot hit the roof, he was handed six runs for it.

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