The short Brabourne Stadium pitch report: it is a red-soil surface that usually favours batters, with true bounce, a quick outfield and some early help for fast bowlers. As the match goes on it tends to slow, which brings spinners into the game. In night games, dew can make the second innings easier.
Brabourne is not a regular IPL venue. Its last IPL matches were in 2022, when the league stage was played in Mumbai and Pune. Since then it has mainly staged domestic and women's cricket, including Women's Premier League games in 2023 and 2025.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Batting-friendly overall. Bowlers need the new ball or spin to make inroads. |
| Pace or spin? | Pace and bounce early; spin grows in importance as the surface slows. |
| Toss in night T20s | Captains often bowl first because of dew, but there is no strong historical bias either way. |
| Toss in day or red-ball games | Batting first is the usual instinct on a dry surface that slows later. |
| Big totals possible? | Yes: 217 in the IPL, 223 in the WPL. Collapses happen too: RCB were bowled out for 68 in 2022. |
Ground overview: Brabourne Stadium and the CCI
Brabourne Stadium belongs to the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and sits at Churchgate, on the Marine Drive side of south Mumbai. The foundation stone was laid in 1936 by Lord Brabourne, then Governor of Bombay, after whom the ground is named, and it opened in 1937.
It was Mumbai's regular Test venue from 1948, when India played West Indies there, and it staged 17 Tests up to February 1973. Test cricket then stayed away for 36 years, until India played Sri Lanka at Brabourne in December 2009.
Published capacity figures vary widely between sources, so we have not quoted one here. What matters for a pitch report is that this is an old club ground with a quick outfield, close to the sea.
How the Brabourne pitch plays
Brabourne, like the Wankhede, uses red-soil pitches. Red soil generally gives good carry and true bounce for fast bowlers early on, then dries and slows, which brings spinners in later. That is broadly how Brabourne plays.
T20: IPL and WPL
In T20 cricket the pitch is a good batting surface, and the fast outfield rewards timing as much as power. Seamers who hit a hard length can find bounce in the powerplay, but once the shine goes, batters can score freely.
Spin is the other main weapon. As the surface slows, spinners who bowl into the pitch become harder to hit, and a captain with two good spinners has more control in the second half of an innings.
Dew is a factor in evening games, which is why captains often bowl first under lights. Even so, Brabourne has not shown the strong chasing bias of some IPL grounds. In IPL 2022 neither batting first nor chasing dominated here, and both the WPL 2025 Eliminator and the final at Brabourne were won by the side batting first.
ODIs
Men's ODIs are rare at Brabourne now, but the most recent one showed how good the surface can be for batting. In October 2018 India made 377/5 against West Indies, with Rohit Sharma scoring 162 and Ambati Rayudu 100, and then bowled West Indies out for 153 to win by 224 runs.
The ground also staged the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy final, a much lower-scoring game in which West Indies were bowled out for 138 and Australia won by eight wickets on the D/L method.
First-class and Test cricket
In red-ball cricket the surface has also been good for batting. The 2009 Test against Sri Lanka is the standout example: India declared on 726/9, Virender Sehwag made 293, and India won by an innings and 24 runs.
Brabourne Stadium pitch report: IPL history
Brabourne has been an occasional IPL venue rather than a home ground. It hosted matches in 2010, a single playoff in 2014, some Rajasthan Royals home games in 2015, and then a full share of the 2022 season, when every league game was played in Mumbai and Pune. It hosted 16 games that year, including one moved from Pune at short notice.
Mumbai Indians play their home games at the Wankhede, and Brabourne has not been used in the IPL from 2023 to 2026. For IPL purposes, the 2022 season is the most relevant guide, and it gave a balanced picture:
- Highest total: Rajasthan Royals' 217/5 against Kolkata Knight Riders in April 2022, built on a Jos Buttler hundred. Yuzvendra Chahal took a hat-trick in the same match; see our rundown of the most hat-tricks in IPL history.
- Lowest total: Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 68 by Sunrisers Hyderabad, also in April 2022.
- Highest successful chase: Lucknow Super Giants made 211/4 to beat Chennai Super Kings in March 2022.
That range, from 68 to 217 in the same season, is a reminder that a good batting pitch can still punish a side that loses wickets early.
Scores and records at Brabourne
| Format | Notable record | Match |
|---|---|---|
| IPL | Highest total: 217/5 | RR v KKR, April 2022 |
| IPL | Lowest total: 68 all out | RCB v SRH, April 2022 |
| IPL | Highest chase: 211/4 | LSG v CSK, March 2022 |
| WPL | Highest total: 223/2 | DC v RCB, March 2023 |
| WPL | Final: MI 149/7 beat DC 141/9 | WPL 2025 final, March 2025 |
| Men's ODI | India 377/5, won by 224 runs | India v West Indies, October 2018 |
| Men's T20I | India 167/3 beat Australia 166/5 | October 2007 |
| Test | India 726/9 declared; Sehwag 293 | India v Sri Lanka, December 2009 |
Brabourne has also been a big stage for women's cricket. It hosted the final of the first WPL season in 2023, which Mumbai Indians won by seven wickets against Delhi Capitals, and the Mumbai leg of WPL 2025, including the Eliminator and the final. The 2026 WPL was played in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara instead.
Conditions: weather, dew and day vs night
Brabourne is a seafront ground in a humid city, and humidity is the constant. In night games the main effect is dew: a wet ball is harder for spinners to grip and for seamers to control, so the side bowling second can struggle late in the innings.
Afternoon and day games see less dew, and the pitch has more time to dry out and slow down. In those conditions, batting first and bowling spin later is the more natural plan. In multi-day cricket, look at the morning session: any moisture under the surface on the first day gives seamers their best window.
Brabourne Stadium pitch report today: what to check on match day
If you are checking the pitch at Brabourne today, start with what kind of match it is. Brabourne mostly stages domestic red-ball games, women's cricket and occasional white-ball events rather than regular men's IPL fixtures, so check the current fixture list.
As of October 2026, Railways are using Brabourne for their Ranji Trophy home games, and the Cricket Club of India is one of the two venues for the first ICC Women's Champions Trophy in February 2027.
On the day, three things matter most. First, the format: a red-ball match will be prepared differently from a white-ball one. Second, the grass cover and any moisture mentioned in the pitch report, which tell you how much help the seamers will get early. Third, the start time, which tells you how much dew to expect. Our IPL pitch report guide to every venue explains how to read a broadcaster's pitch report in more detail.
Reading a Brabourne match with CricGuru
The pitch report and CricGuru's forecast answer different questions. The forecast is a form-based estimate: the model weighs recent results, the head-to-head record, points per game in the league table and a modest home advantage, and an AI-written preview comes with it. It has no view on the pitch, the venue, the weather or the toss.
If the fixture is listed among CricGuru's live and upcoming matches, open it, sign in and request the AI win probability; a free account includes a few trial predictions, and paid plans add a daily allowance. Then hold the result up against Brabourne's conditions. A side with strong spinners, or one that bats deep enough to cope with an early wicket or two, may suit this ground better than the raw form suggests. The toss is worth thinking about too; our guide on whether winning the toss matters covers when it changes the picture.
FAQ
Is the Brabourne Stadium pitch good for batting or bowling?
It is generally good for batting, with true bounce and a fast outfield. Fast bowlers get help early with the new ball, and spinners come into it as the pitch slows, so bowlers who hit good areas can still control a game.
Does the Brabourne pitch help pace or spin?
Both, at different times. Pace and bounce are there early on the red soil; later, as the pitch slows, spin becomes more effective, especially in day games.
Is Brabourne Stadium an IPL venue?
Not regularly. It hosted IPL matches in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2022, but Mumbai Indians play at the Wankhede, and Brabourne was not used in the IPL from 2023 to 2026.
What is the highest IPL score at Brabourne Stadium?
Rajasthan Royals' 217/5 against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2022 is the highest IPL total at the ground. The lowest is 68, by Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the same season.
Who owns Brabourne Stadium?
The Cricket Club of India owns Brabourne Stadium. It was named after Lord Brabourne, the Governor of Bombay who laid the foundation stone in 1936.
Final word on Brabourne
Brabourne rewards batters who play straight early and bowling attacks with good spinners. Check the format, the grass and the start time on match day, and you will know most of what the pitch is likely to do.