Any honest Ekana Stadium pitch report has to start with a caveat: Lucknow is one of the hardest IPL venues to call before a ball is bowled. The ground made its name with slow, grippy pitches where 126 was once enough to win an IPL game, yet in the last three seasons it has also produced a 235 and a successful chase of 228.
What doesn't change is the shape of the ground. Ekana has some of the longest straight boundaries in India, so batters can't rely on mis-hits clearing the rope. Bowlers who take pace off the ball, whether spinners, cutters or slower-ball specialists, usually do well.
Numbers in this Lucknow pitch report are current to the end of IPL 2026.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Balanced overall; the slower strips tilt it clearly towards bowlers |
| Pace or spin? | Spin and change of pace; seamers get some early movement |
| Toss | The IPL record leans slightly towards chasing; chasers won four of seven games in 2026 |
| Boundaries | Long straight boundaries: hit square, or hit it very well |
| Typical par | Strip-dependent. In April 2026, 164 was chased easily but 159 was defended by 40 runs |
If you remember one thing, make it this: don't decide what par is until you've watched the first three or four overs. The ball's behaviour in the powerplay tells you more than any average.
The ground: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium
The ground's full name is the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. It opened in 2017 as the Ekana International Cricket Stadium and was later renamed in honour of the former prime minister. It sits inside the Ekana Sportz City complex in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Capacity: about 50,000.
- Home teams: Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL and Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. Afghanistan also used it as a home venue in 2019.
- Boundaries: some of the longest straight boundaries in India.
- The square: built with a mix of red-soil and black-soil strips. The two soils behave differently, and reports from the 2023 World Cup described red-soil pitches being used for games here.
That mix is why one Lucknow pitch can look nothing like the next. The strip chosen for the day matters more here than at most IPL venues.
How the Ekana surface has changed since 2023
2023: the slow years
In January 2023, India beat New Zealand in a T20I here after restricting them to 99/8 and then needing 19.5 overs to reach 101/4. India's captain, Hardik Pandya, publicly criticised the pitch, and the head curator was replaced soon afterwards.
The IPL that followed was no kinder to batters. In May 2023, RCB defended 126/9 against Lucknow Super Giants, who were bowled out for 108. After that season the pitches were dug up and relaid before the 2023 World Cup.
2024 and 2025: more runs
The relaid square has produced much bigger scores. In May 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders made 235/6 against LSG and won by 98 runs. That is still the highest IPL total at Ekana.
A year later, in the final league game of IPL 2025, Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 118 took LSG to 227/3. RCB chased it in 18.4 overs, with Jitesh Sharma finishing on 85 not out. Not long before, a 228 chase in Lucknow would have sounded absurd.
IPL 2026: low in April, higher in May
All seven LSG home games in IPL 2026:
| Date | Match | First innings | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr | LSG v DC | LSG 141 all out | DC won by 6 wickets (145/4 in 17.1 overs) |
| 12 Apr | LSG v GT | LSG 164/8 | GT won by 7 wickets (165/3 in 18.4 overs) |
| 22 Apr | LSG v RR | RR 159/6 | RR won by 40 runs; LSG all out for 119 |
| 26 Apr | LSG v KKR | KKR 155/7 | Tie (LSG 155/8); KKR won the Super Over |
| 7 May | LSG v RCB | LSG 209/3 (19 overs) | LSG won by 9 runs (DLS) |
| 15 May | LSG v CSK | CSK 187/5 | LSG won by 7 wickets (188/3 in 16.4 overs) |
| 23 May | LSG v PBKS | LSG 196/6 | PBKS won by 7 wickets (200/3 in 18 overs) |
April was low-scoring: no first-innings total in the first four games reached 165. But a low total wasn't automatically enough. Delhi and Gujarat chased 141 and 164 with overs to spare, while RR defended 159 by 40 runs and KKR's 155 produced a tie. In May, first-innings totals climbed to between 187 and 209, and two of those three were chased.
Across the season, chasing sides won four games, sides batting first won two, and one was tied. That fits the longer IPL record here, which leans slightly towards chasing. We don't have curator notes on which strips were used, but the spread of scores fits the ground's reputation: some pitches on this square grip and slow down, others play true. Don't carry the last game's par into the next one.
What the long boundaries change
Long straight boundaries change the geometry of a T20 innings. A lofted drive that clears long-on at a smaller ground can be a catch here, so batters lean towards hitting square of the wicket, where the rope is closer.
Bowlers respond by bowling straighter and slower, making the batter hit into the longest part of the ground. That is a big reason cutters and slower balls work so well in Lucknow. The batter has to provide most of the pace and still clear a long straight boundary.
Compare that with Delhi, where the Arun Jaitley Stadium's short boundaries turn top edges into sixes.
ODIs and internationals at Ekana
The 50-over game shows how much the strip matters. Ekana staged matches at the 2023 World Cup on relaid pitches. In June 2026, India made 402 against Afghanistan here and won by 170 runs, a reminder that when a hard, true strip is prepared, the long boundaries alone won't keep the score down.
Lucknow's winter is a different problem. In December 2025, the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned without a ball bowled because of dense fog. The toss was delayed again and again before the match was finally called off.
Ekana Stadium pitch report: scores and records
| Record (as of the end of IPL 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Highest IPL total | 235/6, KKR v LSG, 2024 |
| Big IPL chase | 228 chased by RCB v LSG, 2025 (230/4 in 18.4 overs) |
| Slow-era low | LSG 108 all out chasing 127 v RCB, 2023 |
| Low-scoring T20I | New Zealand 99/8, India 101/4, January 2023 |
| Big ODI total | India 402 v Afghanistan, June 2026 |
Conditions: heat, rain, dew and fog
Heat. IPL games in Lucknow are played in the hot months of April and May, and the evenings stay warm. A dry, baked strip is more likely to grip as the game goes on.
Rain. Showers can interrupt play. The LSG v RCB game in May 2026 was reduced to 19 overs a side and decided by DLS.
Dew. Dew can settle later in night games, which makes the ball harder to grip and is part of why chasing has a slight edge here.
Fog. For winter internationals, fog is a real risk to evening play, as the abandoned December 2025 T20I showed.
This is a ground on the plains, so altitude plays no part. Lucknow's variables are the strip, the heat and the evening moisture.
Reading an Ekana match with CricGuru
What the model sees is limited by design. CricGuru's AI win probability weighs recent form, head-to-head record, league-table strength (points per game) and a small home advantage, and each match page adds an AI-written preview. The pitch, the venue, the weather and the toss sit outside it, so the context in this report is yours to add.
At Ekana that context counts for a lot. The model can tell you which side has been winning, but not which side has the better spinners and slower-ball bowlers for a gripping Lucknow strip. A team in strong form built around power-hitting can look less convincing on a slow surface with long straight boundaries.
A practical routine: sign in, open the game from CricGuru's live and upcoming matches page and request the AI prediction on the match page (a free account includes a few trial predictions; paid plans add a daily allowance). Then compare the two attacks for spin and change of pace, and watch how the ball behaves in the first few overs. Our guide on how to predict cricket matches explains how to combine that kind of context with a win probability, and the IPL pitch reports for all venues cover every other ground.
FAQ
Is the Ekana Stadium pitch good for batting or bowling?
It depends on the strip more than at most grounds. Historically Ekana has been one of the slower IPL venues, where bowlers who vary their pace do well. Since the square was relaid after IPL 2023, there have also been a good number of 200-plus totals. Watch the first few overs before deciding what a par score looks like.
Is the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium the same as Ekana Stadium?
Yes. The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium is the ground's full official name, and "Ekana Stadium" is the short form. It is the same stadium in Lucknow, home of Lucknow Super Giants.
Does the Lucknow pitch help spinners or fast bowlers?
Both, in different ways. Seamers can get early movement, but the bowlers who usually prosper are those who take pace off the ball, meaning spinners, cutters and slower balls. The long straight boundaries make that approach even more effective.
What is the highest IPL total at Ekana Stadium?
As of the end of IPL 2026, the highest IPL total at Ekana is 235/6, made by Kolkata Knight Riders against Lucknow Super Giants in May 2024.
Should a captain bat or bowl first at Ekana?
Chasing has a slight edge in the IPL record here, helped by evening dew, and chasers won four of the seven games in 2026. But on a slow, dry strip a total that looks below par can still be very hard to chase, as RR's defence of 159 in April 2026 showed. Captains tend to decide based on how the surface looks on the day.
Summing up Lucknow
Lucknow is the venue where reading the conditions pays off most. The long boundaries and a square of mixed soils mean first-innings totals can swing from the 140s to past 200 within a few weeks. The side that adapts fastest, with the right bowlers and the right batting tempo, usually comes out ahead.