Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report, T20 Records & Stats 2026
📍 City: Lucknow
🏟️ Capacity: 50,000
🏏 Home: Lucknow Super Giants
BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium |
| Common Name | Ekana Cricket Stadium / Ekana Stadium |
| Location | Ekana Sports City, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Established | 2017 |
| Capacity | 50,000 spectators |
| IPL Home Team | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) |
| Bowling Ends | Pavilion End & City End |
| Average Boundary | ~68 metres (straight) |
| Flood Lights | Yes |
| Soil Type | Black Cotton Soil (unique among all IPL venues) |
| Notable Distinction | Only IPL venue built on black cotton soil; 5th largest cricket stadium in India |
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, popularly known as Ekana Cricket Stadium, is one of the most architecturally impressive and modern sports venues in India, and is located in the heart of Lucknow in the sprawling Ekana Sports City complex. With a capacity of 50,000 spectators, it is the fifth largest international cricket stadium in the country. It was opened in 2017 and renamed in 2018 in order to honour Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India’s 10th Prime Minister.
It is the home venue for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a franchise that entered the IPL in 2022 and quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams, reaching the playoffs in each of its first two seasons. The stadium is built on 71 acres of land located along the banks of the Gomti River, and is equipped with four dressing rooms for international teams, a modern media centre, and one of the best match day experiences in the IPL. The stadium is known for its passionate and deafening cricket crowd, which is often likened to the best in the country.
What differentiates Ekana Cricket Stadium from all other 10 IPL venues is that each player that steps on the ground is able to sense the difference from just the first three overs. This is because the pitch is made from black cotton soil as opposed to the standard red soil used to prepare the rest of the fields.
A unique characteristic of black cotton soil is that it is clay-heavy, and dense, and has moisture-retaining qualities, unlike any soil IPL venues. This soil type will contract and expand, leading to a pitch that starts true to the batting team but then as the game goes on, the pitch surfaces will slow down and eventually produce uneven bounces and will also grip the ball and increase turn for spinners as the innings progresses.
This creates a unique pitch scenario unlike the other more red soil based IPL venues. This leads to a pitch that is significantly more bowler friendly than the other IPL venues. After many seasons, the black soil pitch will develop a 1st innings average score of 175 runs, compared to the other venues like Chinnaswamy or the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. The black soil is Ekana’s best kept secret, and that is why all knowledgeable players needed to understand it before coming to the ground.
The Pitch Report
The Pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium combined with the black cotton soil is one of the most interesting and challenging of the IPL. In the first 6 overs of the Powerplay, it is as good as any pitch. Fast bowlers get good carry while batters get good bounce and they are able to play shots, which open the door for high scores. In good batting conditions, it is possible to get 55–65 runs, which is good for batters.
However, as the match progresses, and after the 7th over, black soil begins to show its unique characteristics. The pitch begins to slow down and the ball will suffer from a lack of bounce and pace. The most defining characteristic of batting at Ekana is the frustratingly dead pitch. The mid-overs are when players most commonly mis-time shots causing wicket-taking opportunities.
Spinners consider the black cotton soil at Ekana to be one of the best surfaces in the IPL from overs 10 to 16. The soil creates naturally generates grip, especially for off spinners who bowl into the rough, and the variable bounce that the soil creates when the pitch is worn down in both innings make it difficult for the batters to read the correct length. 64% of the wickets at Ekana are from pace bowlers, and 36% are from spinners.
This shows how Ekana’s contribution to spinning is the second highest of any other IPL venue and shows how the black soil is assisting to spinning. The pitch where Mark Wood got his amazing 5/14 for LSG against DC in 2023, which was the best bowling figures at that ground, was one that rewarded extreme pace to the batters and created aggressive rising balls which the DC batters found difficult to handle. Even with all the innovations, the pitch is the real leader.
Ekana Cricket Stadium has an average first innings score of 175, which provides us with significant strategic insight. Teams going above 175 in first innings at this venue, capture 72% of these wins, which explains how the slowing black soil surface makes chases difficult. The pitch grips, making the ball keep low under the lights, making it difficult to the fielders. Even more interesting, the lowest total defended at this venue is 126, in 2023 by RCB. This score would get a team an automatic lose at any other IPL ground, but because of the difficult batting surface, it became a winning total at Ekana.
From a fantasy perspective, it would be smart to rethink your expectations for this venue. Batting first, a team with a score of 160 is strong, 175 is winning, and 150 makes the team vulnerable. It’s best to avoid the high scoring expectations for Chinnaswamy and Wankhede for this venue because of its unique black soil.
Toss Bias & Win Predictor
The Ekana Cricket Stadium has the most definitive match pattern influenced by the toss of any new IPL venue, and in an unexpected twist from the IPL norm, the Ekana venue offers an advantage to chasing teams. This can be the case, even when it has lower scores and is more competitive for bowlers. In 22 completed matches, teams that batted second won 12 matches (54.55%). In contrast, teams that batted first won 9 matches (40.91%). Importantly, in toss winning teams, 14 out of 22 matches were won (63.64%). This most certainly means that toss winning teams understand the strategy behind it.
The advantage of a chasing team at Ekana is influenced by the pitch of the second innings. Ekana has a black soil surface that is likely to be more worn and damaged after foot traffic in the first innings, creating greater assistance for spinners and slower bowlers. However, the batsmen of the chasing team have the advantage of knowing the target and can accelerate in calculated bursts.
Batting First Win %
41%
Chasing Win %
55%
Verdict: The captain winning the toss should consider: CHASING. For Ekana, toss winners choosing to bowl first hold a 63.64% winning rate for all completed games, the best in the IPL. The chasing benefits are even more extreme at this venue. The edge is not due to dew as at all coastal venues but instead the pitch condition. The black soil makes the 4 spin overs more, and the batters will always have a target to aim for after 16 overs.
The best case example: a clear target and fielding restrictions in the powerplay will create the optimal batting conditions. If the toss winner fields first at Ekana, select most of the top order of the second batting side for your fantasy picks after the first 5 overs.
Key T20 Records
Average 1st Innings
175
(22 IPL matches)
Highest IPL Total
235/6
(KKR vs LSG, 2024)
Lowest Defended
167
(RCB vs LSG, 2023)
Wicket Split
Pace: 64%
Spin: 36%
Weather & Dew Factor
Lucknow is situated in the Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh, and is an inland, landlocked area about a thousand kilometers from the nearest coast, so its IPL season temperatures are the highest and driest of any of the leagues’ venues. Lucknow regularly experiences temperatures between 38 and 42 degrees Celsius, and humidity between 25 to 40 percent. The Loo winds of Western India blow towards Lucknow in this period from the west, and evening temperatures drop to 26 to 30 degrees.
IPL matches are scheduled to start at 7:30 PM. As the pre-monsoon season sets in, humidity pushes 50 to 60 percent, creating more atmospheric moisture than in the arid conditions of April. The overall climate at Ekana during the IPL season is hot and dry and lacks moisture, unlike coastal venues and locations close to rivers.
💧 DEW FACTOR: VERY LOW FOR APRIL, MINOR FOR MAY – NOT A GAME-CHANGING VARIABLE. Ekana Cricket Stadium has much less dew than the heavy, game-changing dew that characterizes evening fixtures at the Wankhede, Eden Gardens and Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. In fact, Ekana has little to no dew for the matches that will take place in the month of April and very little dew for the May evening matches, even on humid evenings.
Ekana is located inland from Lucknow and combined with the April humidity of 25-40% and the dry Loo winds, there will be little to no moisture on the outfield during the first half of the IPL season. However, it is critical to make this distinction: the chasing advantage at Ekana is NOT caused by dew, but by the black cotton soil pitch that is further damaged by first inning foot traffic which will assist spinners and slower bowlers in the second inning.
Therefore, captains opting to chase at Ekana are doing it more for the pitch than weather factors. As a result, for your fantasy selections, there should be no consideration of dew when making second-innings bowling selections at this ground. The pitch handles all the work, regardless of weather conditions.
IPL Records at BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium
After hosting its first IPL match in the 2022 season, the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, home to Lucknow Super Giants, has collected some interesting records, including a miraculous 126 run successful defence, which redefined the level of score considered competitive in T20 cricket, and KKR 235/6, which is the only occurrence of a team scoring over 200 runs at the ground. So far, with 22 completed matches, some records have begun to take shape. The patterns show that the black soil is the reason for the records, good and bad.
🏏 Highest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR | 235/6 | LSG | 2024 |
| LSG | 193/6 | PBKS | 2023 |
| RCB | 179/3 | LSG | 2024 |
| GT | 178/7 | LSG | 2023 |
| LSG | 176/5 | DC | 2023 |
📉 Lowest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSG | 108 | RCB | 2023 |
| SRH | 121/8 | LSG | 2022 |
| GT | 135/6 | LSG | 2023 |
| DC | 138 | LSG | 2022 |
| RCB | 141/7 | LSG | 2022 |
🛡️ Lowest Totals Ever Defended at This Venue
| Team | Total Defended | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCB | 126/9 ⭐ | LSG | 2023 |
| GT | 135/6 | LSG | 2023 |
| LSG | 141/4 | DC | 2026 |
| LSG | 163/5 | GT | 2024 |
| LSG | 177/3 | MI | 2023 |
Best Individual Performers at Ekana
Two distinct groups of heroes have emerged at BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, and they are the explosive batters at the beginning, and the paralyzing bowlers at the extreme end of the black soil deteriorating pitch. In IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants will be led by Rishabh Pant (retained at a record ₹27 crore — the most expensive player in IPL history). Pant adds both destructive wicket-keeper batting and aggressive tactical nous at Ekana.
Mark Wood’s fantastic 5/14 at Ekana in 2023 is the best in the IPL history of that ground and is considered the best performance at that venue. It was a spell of raw pace that combined with the deteriorating pitch to create an unstoppable force.
🔥 Top Individual Scores (IPL) at This Venue
| Batsman | Score | Balls | Strike Rate | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 118* | 55 | 214 | LSG vs RCB | 2025 |
| KL Rahul | 103* | 62 | 166 | LSG vs SRH | 2022 |
| Nicholas Pooran | 98* | 47 | 208 | LSG vs DC | 2023 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 95 | 50 | 190 | RCB vs LSG | 2024 |
| Quinton de Kock | 80 | 52 | 153 | LSG vs KKR | 2022 |
📊 All-Time IPL Run Scorers at This Venue
| Batsman | Runs | Team |
|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | 483+ | LSG |
| Quinton de Kock | 420+ | LSG |
| Nicholas Pooran | 378+ | LSG |
| Rishabh Pant | 320+ | LSG / DC |
| Deepak Hooda | 265+ | LSG |
🎯 Best Bowling Figures (IPL) at This Venue
| Bowler | Figures | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Wood | 5/14 ⭐ | LSG vs DC | 2023 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 4/16 | LSG vs MI | 2023 |
| Avesh Khan | 4/18 | LSG vs SRH | 2022 |
| Mohsin Khan | 3/14 | LSG vs RCB | 2022 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 3/17 | RR vs LSG | 2022 |
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Playing a Match at Ekana
⚖️ Adjust Your Scoring Expectations Downward
The most common mistake people make at Ekana is believing the scoring expectations of Wankhede or Chinnaswamy and translating them to a black cotton soil surface that usually only sees a total of 175 runs in the first innings. A first inning total of 160 is competitive at this venue. This should be reflected in your captain and vice captain selections — a player scoring a well made 55 off 38 at Ekana holds way more value than that same score at a batting friendly venue. Players that may appear to grind at this venue will actually be positively impacted from this pitch — so be sure to not downgrade them.
🌀 Wanindu Hasaranga — LSG’s New Spin Weapon at Ekana
The new choice for the spin bowling role in LSG at Ekana for IPL 2026 is going to be Wanindu Hasaranga – the top leg-spinner from Sri Lanka, a T20 world-class wicket-taker. Hasaranga’s mix of wrist-spin, googly, and flipper is bound to get him some great wicket-taking opportunities, especially in the middle overs at Ekana, which has a slower black-soil pitch and provides more grip at the 10th to 16th overs. Sitting at 2 crores, he is bound to be a huge positive cashflow player for IPL 2026.
💥 Rishabh Pant — Captain of the Black Soil Ground
Rishabh Pant also has the highest fantasy batting potential at Ekana given that he is the captain of the home side and thus will bat in the top 3 of the order in every innings and is the centerpiece of LSG’s entire team strategy. Pant holds the record for the highest score at Ekana with a phenomenal 118* off 55 balls (strike rate 214) which is the most single-handedly dominant performance we have seen at this venue. Therefore, Rishabh Pant will be the most deserving and obvious captain choice given the Ekana home fixtures.
BRSABV Ekana Stadium’s black soil has a unique and historical set of results that defy all standard fantasy scoring theories, including 160 runs being considered a par score, 175 runs winning matches, and all the way up to 130 runs being defended. Look for batters with big scores in early power play overs and bowlers with significant fast bowling pace in the dying overs for a winning fantasy team.
Historically, the winning team in the two matches has been smart and disciplined. Pitch sensitivity will outperform all other strategies when selecting the team. The team winning the toss has historically had a winning percentage of 63.6%, with teams that chase winning the match. The winning team in this match had predicted the entire winning selection process in advance.