Cricket is next to religion in India, which is the most popular sport in this country. That is why India is considered the superpower in cricket. India is the only country, which has 50+ active cricket venues in the world. A few are historic ones, while some of them have been built in the last decade or so.
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, also known as Ekana Stadium, is one of the newest cricket venues in India. This venue is named after India’s 10th Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This is the fifth-largest cricket venue in India, with a capacity of 50,000.
It is situated at Ekana Sportz City, Sector 7, Gomti Nagar Extension, Amar Shaheed Path, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226010, India. This venue also hosted five games during the ODI World Cup 2023. Ekana Sportz City runs and owns this stadium. This was also the stadium, which was used as the home venue for the Afghanistan Cricket Team between 2019 and 2020. So, let’s talk about this stadium and its past briefly.
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report – Batting or Bowling Pitch?
Talking about the surface at the Ekana Stadium, it offers a slow wicket, which gets slower with time. The wicket initially offers good bounce, and there will be swing when the ball is new or shiny. But as the game goes on, the pitch will get slow, and the ball will start gripping.
Spinners will come into play and get more out of the wicket. Just like every new cricket stadium, the wicket here is made of a composition of red and black soil. The outfield here is quick. In tests, the wicket here offers a lot to spinners, and it will break or grip.
But in white-ball cricket, the wicket has flattened out a bit. Under light the ball will swing, and it will be totally contrasting in the second innings because of dew here. The weather conditions in Lucknow are humid, which brings in more dew. Overall, this venue has a balanced surface, where spinners thrive more.
See Also:- Top 10 Smallest Cricket Stadiums in India
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report – Fast Bowlers or Spinners Pitch?
Ekana Stadium is a traditional Indian cricket venue. The wicket gets slower with time. Overall, it is a good wicket to bat on when it comes to the white-ball format. This wicket assists spinners more, because the bounce here can be uneven, which can make it slightly difficult for the batters.
In some domestic or IPL games, the bounce here has been spongy or two-paced. For fat bowlers, the best time to get success is when the ball is new. In the death overs, the slower ones are the best options because they stick to the surface and won’t come easy onto the bat.
This venue has hosted a total of 9 T20 internationals. 5 games have been played batting first, and 4 matches have been won by the chasing side. The average first-inning score here in T20s is 151.
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium – Test Records
| Total Matches | 1 |
| Matches won batting first | 0 |
| Matches won bowling first | 1 |
| Average 1st innings Score | 187 |
| Average 2nd innings Score | 277 |
| Highest total recorded | 277/10 (83.3 Ovs) By WI vs AFG |
| Lowest total recorded | 120/10 (43.1 Ovs) By AFG vs WI |
| Highest score chased | 33/1 (6.2 Ovs) By WI vs AFG |
| Lowest score defended | N/A |
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium – ODI Records
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Matches | 14 |
| Matches won batting first | 4 |
| Matches won bowling first | 10 |
| Average 1st innings Score | 226 |
| Average 2nd innings Score | 205 |
| Highest total recorded | 311/7 (50 Ovs) By RSA vs AUS |
| Lowest total recorded | 129/10 (34.5 Ovs) By ENG vs IND |
| Highest score chased | 269/3 (48.4 Ovs) By RSAW vs INDW |
| Lowest score defended | 248/5 (50 Ovs) By INDW vs RSAW |
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium – T20 Records
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Matches | 9 |
| Matches won batting first | 4 |
| Matches won bowling first | 5 |
| Average 1st innings Score | 151 |
| Average 2nd innings Score | 126 |
| Highest total recorded | 199/2 (20 Ovs) By IND vs SL |
| Lowest total recorded | 127/7 (20 Ovs) By WI vs AFG |
| Highest score chased | 159/4 (20 Ovs) By RSAW vs INDW |
| Lowest score defended | 156/8 (20 Ovs) By AFG vs WI |
FAQ:
Is Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium Batting or Bowling Friendly?
The Ekana Stadium has a slow batting wicket. Batters score good runs here, but the wicket gets slow with time. That will bring spinners into play. There will be a slow turn, and the ball will grip more as the game goes forward.
What is the average score at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium?
The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium is a great venue for T20 cricket. It has 9 T20I games so far. The first innings average score here is 151-160 in T20I. It then goes down to 125-130 average score in the 2nd innings.
What are the boundary dimensions at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium?
The boundary lengths at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium Ground varies. The straight boundary is around 77-81 meters, while the square boundaries are approximately 67-71 meters.
