An Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch report comes down to two points. When the surface is flat, the short square boundaries make Delhi one of the biggest-hitting grounds in the IPL. And whatever the surface, chasing has been the way to win: chasing sides won six of the seven IPL games here in 2026.
The extremes came within three days. On 25 April 2026, in an afternoon game, Delhi Capitals made 264/2 and still lost, as Punjab Kings completed the highest successful chase the IPL has seen. Two days later, under lights on the same ground, RCB bowled Delhi out for 75.
Both results make sense once you know the ground. This Delhi pitch report looks at why it usually favours batting, when the seamers get their say, and how much the old Feroz Shah Kotla reputation still tells you, using figures up to the end of IPL 2026.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Batting-friendly when the surface is flat; seamers can strike early under lights |
| Pace or spin? | Seamers early when there is movement; spinners get more grip as the surface dries |
| Toss | Bowl first: chasers are slightly ahead over IPL history and won six of seven games in 2026 |
| Average IPL first innings | About 170 over the full history; the 2026 totals averaged about the same but ranged from 75 to 264 |
| Boundaries | Short square boundaries, so top edges and mis-hits often carry |
The short version for captains: bat first only if you think the pitch will slow down. Otherwise, chasing with short boundaries and dew around is rarely a bad option. Our piece on whether winning the toss matters looks at that decision in more detail.
The ground: from Feroz Shah Kotla to Arun Jaitley Stadium
Established in 1883, this is one of the oldest international cricket grounds still in use in India. For more than a century it was known as the Feroz Shah Kotla, after the neighbouring fort. In 2019 it was renamed after Arun Jaitley, the former Union minister and long-serving president of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), which owns and runs the ground.
- Home teams: Delhi in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
- Boundaries: short square boundaries, a big part of why scores run high.
- Capacity: published figures vary widely after recent redevelopment, so we haven't quoted one.
- Famous moments: Anil Kumble took all ten Pakistan wickets in an innings here in 1999.
- Infamous moments: in 2009, an India v Sri Lanka ODI was abandoned because the pitch was judged dangerous, and the ICC barred the ground from international cricket for a year.
That 2009 episode shaped the ground's low-and-slow reputation, but it describes a different square from today's.
How the Delhi pitch has changed
For years the Kotla was known as a spinner's ground in Tests and a grind in white-ball cricket.
The modern surface is firmer and flatter, the ball comes on to the bat, and with short square boundaries even a well-set field leaks runs. At the 2023 World Cup, South Africa made 428/5 against Sri Lanka here, which is the highest total in men's World Cup history. The two teams scored 754 runs between them.
What has survived from the old days is a tendency for the surface to dry out as a match goes on. Spinners who bowl into the pitch get more grip in the second half of a game, and that is often the only real help they get.
Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch report for IPL matches
Over the full IPL history at this ground, the average first-innings total is about 170. IPL 2026 matched that average almost exactly while swinging wildly around it:
| Date | Match | First innings | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr | DC v MI | MI 162/6 | DC won by 6 wickets (164/4 in 18.1 overs) |
| 8 Apr | DC v GT | GT 210/4 | GT won by 1 run |
| 25 Apr | DC v PBKS | DC 264/2 | PBKS won by 6 wickets (265/4 in 18.5 overs) |
| 27 Apr | DC v RCB | DC 75 all out | RCB won by 9 wickets (77/1 in 6.3 overs) |
| 5 May | DC v CSK | DC 155/7 | CSK won by 8 wickets (159/2 in 17.3 overs) |
| 8 May | DC v KKR | DC 142/8 | KKR won by 8 wickets (147/2 in 14.2 overs) |
| 17 May | DC v RR | RR 193/8 | DC won by 5 wickets (197/5 in 19.2 overs) |
The seven first-innings totals averaged about 172. The only side to win batting first was Gujarat, by a single run, and middling totals were knocked off comfortably: CSK and KKR both chased with more than two overs to spare.
The biggest games at the ground in the last two seasons show the range:
- May 2025: Sunrisers Hyderabad made 278/3 against Kolkata Knight Riders, with Heinrich Klaasen hitting an unbeaten 105 off 39 balls. SRH won by 110 runs, and 278/3 is the highest IPL total at the ground.
- 25 April 2026: KL Rahul's unbeaten 152 took Delhi Capitals to 264/2. Punjab Kings chased the 265 target with seven balls to spare, breaking their own record of 262 from 2024 for the highest successful chase in an IPL match. The game produced 529 runs.
- 27 April 2026: RCB won the toss, bowled first and found early seam movement. Delhi were 13/6 at the end of the powerplay, the lowest powerplay score in IPL history, and were all out for 75 in 16.3 overs. Josh Hazlewood took 4/12 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/5, and RCB won by nine wickets inside seven overs.
Those two April games, two days apart and one an afternoon start while the other was played under lights, are the best lesson this ground offers. When the ball isn't moving, no total is safe. When it moves under lights, even a strong batting line-up can be gone before the field spreads.
Batting first or chasing?
Over the long run, chasing sides have won slightly more IPL games here than sides batting first, though the split is close to even. IPL 2026 tilted it sharply, with chasers winning six of seven. Dew in night games and the short boundaries both help the chasing side, and the record chase in April 2026 showed how far a chase can go on a flat Delhi surface.
Scores and records at the Arun Jaitley Stadium
| Record (as of the end of IPL 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Highest IPL total | 278/3, SRH v KKR, 2025 |
| Highest IPL chase | 265 target, chased by PBKS v DC, 2026 (also the IPL record) |
| Notable IPL collapse | DC 75 all out v RCB, 2026, after 13/6 in the powerplay |
| Average IPL first innings | About 170 |
| Highest ODI total | 428/5, South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2023 World Cup |
Conditions: heat, dew and the first three overs
Heat. IPL games in Delhi fall in the hot, dry months of April and May. A baked surface tends to quicken up for the batters early and then offer the spinners a little more as it wears.
Dew. Night games can bring dew in the second innings, which makes the ball skid on and harder to grip. That is part of why captains who win the toss here often choose to bowl.
Early movement. As the 75 all out showed, seamers can get help under lights early in an innings. The first two or three overs tell you which kind of Delhi night it is.
Short boundaries. Bowlers have very little margin: a slightly short slower ball or a missed yorker often goes for six.
Reading a Delhi match with CricGuru
What goes into CricGuru's AI win probability? Recent form, head-to-head record, league-table strength (points per game) and a small home advantage. That is the full list; each match page also includes an AI-written preview, but the pitch, the venue, the weather and the toss are not part of the model. Those are for you to add.
That matters in Delhi, where the same ground produced a 529-run game and a 75 all out in one week. After signing in, open the game from CricGuru's live and upcoming matches page and request the prediction on the match page (free accounts include a few trial predictions; paid plans add a daily allowance). Treat that probability as your baseline for how the teams compare. Then ask the venue questions. Does one side have the new-ball bowlers to exploit early movement? Does the other have the depth to chase 220 if the dew arrives?
League-table strength is one of the model's inputs, so it also helps to check where both teams sit on the series and points-table pages. For the other grounds, see our IPL pitch reports for all venues, including the very different, slower Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
FAQ
Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch report: batting or bowling?
Batting-friendly when the surface is flat, with short square boundaries, which is why totals of 250-plus have been made and chased here. But chasing has been the winning route: chasing sides won six of the seven IPL games here in 2026. Bowlers' best chance is early in the innings if the ball moves, as it did when Delhi were bowled out for 75.
Is the Delhi pitch good for spinners?
Less than its old Kotla reputation suggests. Spinners get more grip as the surface dries during a match, but on the modern pitch they mostly control the run rate rather than run through a side.
What is the highest IPL total at the Arun Jaitley Stadium?
As of the end of IPL 2026, it is 278/3, made by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in May 2025. Delhi Capitals' 264/2 in April 2026 came close, and Punjab Kings chased it down.
What is a good IPL score at the Arun Jaitley Stadium?
The long-run average first-innings total is about 170, and the 2026 totals averaged almost the same. Treat 170 as a baseline rather than a target: only one side won batting first here in 2026, and when the ball isn't moving, even 264 has been chased. If the ball is moving early, par drops sharply, as Delhi's 75 all out showed.
Is the Arun Jaitley Stadium the same as Feroz Shah Kotla?
Yes. The ground was called the Feroz Shah Kotla for more than a century and was renamed the Arun Jaitley Stadium in 2019. It is the same venue, home of Delhi Capitals.
What to take away
Delhi is a batter's ground with a short fuse, and in 2026 it was a chaser's ground too. Trust the flat pitch and the short boundaries when the ball isn't moving, lean towards the side batting second, and watch the first three overs closely. That's when this venue decides whether the evening belongs to the batters or to the seamers.