Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report, T20 Records & Stats 2026
📍 City: Jaipur
🏟️ Capacity: ~30,000
🏏 Home: Rajasthan Royals
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Sawai Mansingh Stadium |
| Common Name | SMS Stadium |
| Location | Janpath, Lalkothi, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Established | 1969 |
| Capacity | ~30,000 spectators |
| IPL Home Team | Rajasthan Royals (RR) |
| Bowling Ends | Pavilion End & City End |
| Boundaries | 65m (square) · 70m (straight) |
| Flood Lights | Yes |
| First IPL Match | April 21, 2008 (RR vs PBKS) |
| Notable Distinction | Home of the inaugural IPL champions; named after Sawai Man Singh II, last ruling Maharaja of Jaipur |
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, or SMS Stadium, has a special place in the history of the Indian Premier League as one of the oldest cricket grounds and has been the home venue of the franchise, Rajasthan Royals, since the inception of the IPL. The inception of the venue dates back to the year 1969, in the time of Sawai Man Singh II, who was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jaipur. The PSA is owned by the Government of Rajasthan, and the operational management is by the RCA (Rajasthan Cricket Association).
The venue is one of the smaller stadiums in Rajasthan, as it has a capacity of 30,000, which is much smaller compared to other bowl-like stadiums like Narendra Modi Stadium or Ekana. However, it is known for its intimidating and historically rich atmosphere, making it one of the most feared locations for visiting IPL franchises. Over the years, The Royals have had a phenomenal record at this venue, winning 37 of their 58 home matches (63.8%), and along with the Cricketing passion of the city, a strong fortress-like reputation has been established for SMS Stadium.
The narrative of SMS Stadium starts in extraordinary fashion. On April 21, 2008, during just the underline 4th match of the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals played the Kings XI Punjab. They achieved the then highest run chase of 166 runs, marking the start of a memorable debut season for the Royals. That season the Royals won the 2008 IPL under the captaincy of Shane Warne, and the champion squad was made of undervalued players, young unknowns, and clever overseas selections.
They achieved many memorable wins in the SMS Stadium’s outfield with the Jaipur floodlights. The story of the IPL’s greatest underdog story is ingrained in the soil of the SMS Stadium, and it makes the Royals games and the beloved underdog story.
The Pitch Report
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium has a pitch with a fair and developing nature. The pitch supports some aggressive batting and good quality bowling and has provided great competition and good tactics for the 18 seasons of IPL. The pitch has a surface with a hard and true top. This gives good bounce and carry for the first six overs.
Opening fast bowlers will get some seam movement as well. The dry night air will help the bowlers. The IPL first innings average score is 165. This is below the averages of T20 power houses like Chinnaswamy and Wankhede. This shows the pitch keeps fast bowlers in play and doesn’t give the batting sides the flat surfaces they find at high scoring venues.
In the last 8 matches played at the SMS Stadium, the evolution of the pitch shows heavy favour to the bowling side, particularly for spin bowling. As the innings progresses, off spin and leg spin bowlers get increasing levels of grip, variable bounce, and ability to create uncertainty for batters. This makes 9 to 16 the most important overs of the game. Fast bowlers have taken 67% of the wickets in the IPL at SMS Stadium, with spinners only taking 33% of the wickets.
This means the pitch at Jaipur for the second half of the innings is very dry and gets a lot of grip. There is also a batters strike rate of 138 off the innings which again shows that entry is a competitive ground, but does not overly favour the batters. All in all, the pitch is good and allows for good quality bowling. Patience in batting is rewarded, and with the close contests, it is easy to see why Jaipur is a popular ground in the IPL.
When analyzing the data at SMS Stadium, the primary consideration should be the stark contrast between first-inning and second-inning scores. For first innings, the average first innings score at SMS Stadium is 165. For second innings, however, the average second innings score is 150. This is a 15-run scoring deficiency for the second innings, and is the most compelling reason for the strong second batting advantage at this venue.
In the Jaipur venue, teams batting second in the finals win 64.06% of the matches. This is the highest win percentage in the IPL and the highest batting second advantage overall in the IPL. In the Fantasy Cricket leagues, it will be very important to understand these factors, as the slow-down period in the second innings as well as the cool evening climate will result in more effective bowling during the last five overs of the innings.
If a team scores 165+ batting first at SMS Stadium, it is a defensible total, however, anything less than 155 is very likely to be chased down, as teams adjust the pace of their batting throughout the innings.
Toss Bias & Win Predictor
As far as the IPL goes, the toss at Sawai Mansingh Stadium has one of the clearest and most consistent strategic patterns, and yours has the largest sample size validation. At the 64 matches completed at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, teams batting second have won 41 matches (64.06%). Along with Chepauk and Eden Gardens, Sawai Mansingh is one of the three biggest venues that provide a chasing advantage.
Captains winning the toss at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium have noticed this advantage and use it well. Winning the toss at a particular fixture determines a win 56.25% of the time (across all 64 matches), meaning it is clear that captains winning the toss and opting to bowl first are making the right call. This chasing advantage is the result of two key interrelated components: as the top layer wears, the pitch assists spin and slow bowling, and the temperature drops in the desert, which makes it easier to score in the dying overs.
This advantage makes it more challenging to score with the target. This means that chasing teams can pace their innings better than first-innings batting teams because they know the target.
Batting First Win %
36%
Chasing Win %
64%
Verdict: Toss-winning captains should consider going CHASING. In 18 seasons of IPL, SMS Stadium has the highest win rate for teams that have chased down targets over 64 completed matches. The win rate for teams that have chased down targets is 64.06% meaning that they are statistically proven to win more often by chasing than setting the target. Toss-winning captains that field first at Jaipur win 56.25% of the matches.
The fantasy implication is clear: regardless of the teams bowling first or batting first, consider the batting order of the team that is expected to perform best second in the innings as the team that is expected to win. Here, 165+ batting first scoring is solid, and chasing teams at SMS Stadium have a 64% chance of getting it.
Key T20 Records
Average 1st Innings
165
(64 IPL matches)
Highest IPL Total
219/5
(PBKS vs RR, 2025)
Lowest IPL Total
59
(RR vs RCB, 2023)
Wicket Split
Pace: 67%
Spin: 33%
Weather & Dew Factor
Jaipur is situated at an elevation of 431 meters above sea level in the semi-arid Thar Desert zone. It is India’s largest state by area, so the capital, Jaipur, is in the largest state at largest elevation. Wind patterns flowing through the Thar Desert influence the city’s climate in April, where the IPL matches take place. The temperature consistently hits 37–42°C, which is extremely dry and hot.
The humidity is only 20–35%. Afternoon IPL matches will be played in above 40°C temps, meaning they will be played in the extreme dry and hot weather. By the time matches at SMS Stadium start at 7:30 PM, the temperature will have increased to a comfortable 22–28°C range. The abrupt and extreme decrease in temperature is a major influence in the atmosphere and is a significant reason as to why there is so much dew formation in the later innings of the matches.
Most matches at SMS Stadium will have extreme temperature drops and as the matches go into the later innings, dew will start to form. The significant drop in temperature will also be the reason as to why there will be so much dew formation in the later innings of matches at SMS Stadium.
💧 DEW FACTOR: LOW TO MODERATE — DESERT AIR SUPPRESSES BUT DOES NOT ELIMINATE DEW. Because of Jaipur’s desert climate, Sawai Mansingh Stadium will always have far less dew than coastal or river-valley IPL venues, but there will always be some, due to the sharp drop in temperature from day to night. Light to moderate dew will be present in the last 4-6 overs of the innings, especially in May, when pre-monsoon moisture increases from the desert to the West. In April, the majority of IPL season evenings executed in Jaipur, will have no dew until the very last overs, from 17 to 18.
Then, only a dew layer will have formed very slightly, enough so that it will be slightly harder to grip the ball for wrist spinners, but not enough to change the outcome of a match. The 64.06% chasing advantage at this venue is NOT because of dew, rather it is due to the bumps of the pitch, as well as the cooling air and the knowledge of the chasing team towards the target of the chase.
A very important and critical aspect to this is even without dew, the chasers always seem to win 64% of the matches at the SMS Stadium. The pitch does the strategic work that dew does at other venues. The pitch data is all that is required when determining a strategy for SMS Stadium, it is not necessary to consider dew forecasts to make this decide.
IPL Records at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Over 18 seasons, Sawai Mansingh Stadium has hosted 64 matches and has thus far established an incredible statistical record because of the rich and diverse matches experienced during its operational lifetime, the 2nd most of any stadium in the league besides the venue’s with 10+ operational seasons.
Some of the most outstanding individual and team feats the league has to offer were performed at this ground, ranging from its first recorded IPL 6 wickets and 6 runs from 14 balls by Sohail Tanvir in 2008, to the 113 runs not out performed by Virat Kohli in 2024, and including the amazing 2023 IPL 217 run chase by the SRH team.
🏏 Highest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBKS | 219/5 ⭐ | RR | 2025 |
| SRH | 217/6 | RR | 2023 |
| RR | 196/6 | DC | 2024 |
| RR | 193/3 | PBKS | 2022 |
| MI | 188/4 | RR | 2022 |
📉 Lowest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| RR | 59 ⭐ | RCB | 2023 |
| KKR | 125 | RR | 2008 |
| Pune Warriors | 125/9 | RR | 2012 |
| RR | 126/6 | KKR | 2009 |
| KXIP | 124 | RR | 2011 |
Best Individual Performers at SMS Jaipur
Over 64 matches, Sawai Mansingh Stadium has hosted an incredible array of batting and bowling performances and legends.
🔥 Top Individual Scores (IPL) at This Venue
| Batsman | Score | Balls | Strike Rate | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 113* ⭐ | 72 | 156 | RCB vs RR | 2024 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 105* | 63 | 166 | RR vs DC | 2012 |
| Jos Buttler | 100* | 58 | 172 | RR vs MI | 2022 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 98 | 49 | 200 | RR vs DC | 2023 |
| Sanju Samson | 119 | 63 | 188 | RR vs PBKS | 2022 |
📊 All-Time IPL Run Scorers at This Venue
| Batsman | Runs | Matches | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajinkya Rahane | 1,475 | 46 | RR / CSK |
| Sanju Samson | 920+ | 35+ | RR |
| David Warner | 780+ | 28+ | SRH / DC |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 650+ | 22+ | RR |
| MS Dhoni | 610+ | 28+ | CSK |
🎯 Best Bowling Figures (IPL) at This Venue
| Bowler | Figures | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sohail Tanvir | 6/14 ⭐ | RR vs CSK | 2008 |
| Rahul Tewatia | 5/20 | PBKS vs RR | 2020 |
| Shahbaz Nadeem | 4/19 | RR vs SRH | 2020 |
| Dhawal Kulkarni | 4/28 | RR vs RCB | 2015 |
| Andrew McDonald | 4/12 | RR vs KKR | 2008 |
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Playing a Match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
🏠 RR’s Home Record is the #1 Insight
Rajasthan Royal’s win rate at the SMS Stadium is 63.8% and have 558 home games. They’ve had a massive home advantage and they always have a better fantasy batting lineup than at away games.
🎯 Yashasvi Jaiswal — Back Him Every Time
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who batted at a strike rate of over 170, hit 650+ IPL runs at this stadium, and has the potential to score devastatingly quick and win-imperative fantasy runs, like a 45-ball century, strikes like 98 off 49.
🌀 Always Pick a Quality Leg-Spinner
The dry surfaces of SMS Stadium offer an edge to wrist spinners by aiding spin. Over 64 matches, the surface has shown a 33% contribution towards wickets for spinners. The surface is very rewarding for spin wrist bowlers during the middle overs. Fantasy analysts getting the surface pitch conditions wrong means bowlers like Yuzvendra Chahal are underrated as fantasy picks.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium requires a fantasy strategy centered on a single core belief: the team batting second will win. Data over 64 matches and 18 seasons show second batting teams have won 64.06% of matches. This is not based on luck, at second innings the pitch is shown to slow down which allows for better control for the chasing team. The bottom line is the second batting team is set up for success.
Captains and vice captains fantasy picks should come from the second batting team, Yashavi Jaiswal and quality leg spinners are a good fantasy choice. Unlike Chinnaswamy and Wankhede, you will need to find a balance as to not over invest in batting as SMS Stadium requires the rigid Chess nature of cricket to be consistently rewarded.
The Ground That Launched the IPL
No other IPL venue can match the reputation Sawai Mansingh Stadium has of being the venue IPL’s most remarkable tale of the inaugural season. With Shane Warne at the helm as coach, the Rajasthan Royals of 2008, used a winning mixture of up-and-coming Indian domestic players and cleverly picked foreign players. There was no pre-tournament rationale that suggested that this team would win the first IPL tournament, but from this very outfield in Jaipur, they played match after match, attacking, and unknown players and executing the true tactical genius of Warne. With the final win, the trophy belonged to the city.
With every game played at SMS Stadium, the Rajasthan Royals remember and celebrate the pride of their 2008 title win, which remains the lone championship win in the franchise’s history. The pride of which, the fans of Jaipur share with them. The stadium has changed very little physically since those early years with the same close, 30,000 capacity that creates an atmosphere of unrivaled intensity. As IPL 2026 officially marks another season of pink-city cricket at this historic venue, With each match, the fans create a new contest and continue the story that began on April 21 in 2008, with a young team of Rajasthan Royals, who did the cricketing world and the Pink City a favor, by chasing down 166 runs and defeating Kings XI Punjab.