Venues

Wankhede Stadium has long been one of cricket’s most recognisable addresses, a ground where the rhythms of Mumbai and the pulse of the game seem to move in step. Owned and operated by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), it serves as the home of the Mumbai Indians and also as the administrative nerve centre of Indian cricket, housing the headquarters of the MCA, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Set along Marine Drive in the Churchgate area, the stadium sits amid a cluster of historic sporting institutions — Hindu Gymkhana, Parsi Gymkhana, and the Cricket Club of India — a neighbourhood that has quietly shaped much of the city’s cricketing culture over the decades. Wankhede’s reputation has been built on moments that have travelled far beyond its stands. On 2 April 2011, it staged one of the most cherished nights in Indian sport, as India defeated Sri Lanka to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup, becoming the first team to win the title at home. The ground also marked the end of Sachin Tendulkar’s international journey, hosting his final appearance in India — an occasion that drew a fitting, emotional close to a career that spanned a generation. In the years that followed, Wankhede has remained a constant on the world calendar, hosting high-profile international fixtures and some of the IPL’s most keenly followed encounters. Framed by the city skyline and animated by Mumbai’s unmistakable energy, it continues to be a venue where cricket’s biggest battles find a natural setting.

Narendra Modi Stadium sits on the edge of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad as more than just a cricket ground. It is a landmark of scale and ambition. With a seating capacity of around 132,000, it is the largest cricket stadium in the world, a place built to host cricket’s grandest occasions and accommodate the largest crowds the sport has ever seen. Owned and operated by the Gujarat Cricket Association, the stadium stages matches across formats, including Tests, ODIs, T20Is, first-class and List A games, and has become a regular venue for high-profile internationals and IPL fixtures, including as the home ground of the Gujarat Titans. The stadium’s story is one of transformation. Originally constructed in 1983 and renovated in 2006, it was completely rebuilt between 2015 and 2020, creating a modern, multi-facility arena designed for 21st-century cricket. Its defining moment on the global stage came on 19 November 2023, when it hosted the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. With the eyes of the cricketing world fixed on Ahmedabad, the stadium provided a vast, dramatic setting for the tournament’s showpiece match, a night that firmly placed the venue among the sport’s most recognisable arenas. That sense of occasion will return when the Narendra Modi Stadium hosts the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, placing it in the rare position of staging the showpiece matches of both of the game’s major global tournaments within the same decade. The stadium was renamed in 2021 after Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in recognition of his vision as former president of the Gujarat Cricket Association to develop a facility in Ahmedabad capable of meeting the aspirations of more than one lakh passionate cricket fans. Today, it stands as a symbol of modern Indian cricket, defined by its scale, its ambition, and its growing association with the sport’s biggest moments.

Arun Jaitley Stadium stands in the heart of New Delhi as one of Indian cricket’s oldest and most storied venues. Owned and operated by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), the ground is located beside the historic Feroz Shah Kotla fort, from which it drew its original name for more than a century. Established in 1883, it is widely regarded as one of the oldest functional international cricket stadiums in India. Over the decades, it has witnessed the evolution of the game across eras, hosting Test matches, One Day Internationals, and T20 Internationals, along with domestic and league fixtures that have shaped generations of cricketers. Renamed in 2019 in honour of Shri Arun Jaitley, the former Union Minister and long-serving president of the DDCA, the stadium’s modern identity reflects a period of significant redevelopment and renewal. Among its more recent additions is the Virat Kohli Pavilion, named after one of Delhi’s most celebrated cricketing sons, a player whose journey from the city’s junior ranks to the pinnacle of international cricket mirrors the ground’s own enduring connection to the capital’s sporting life. The stadium also carries a strong sense of legacy within its stands. Several sections are named after some of Indian cricket’s most respected figures, including Bishan Singh Bedi, Mohinder Amarnath, and Gautam Gambhir, while the team dressing rooms honour the memory of Raman Lamba and Prakash Bhandari, both closely linked to Delhi’s cricketing tradition. Through World Cup matches, landmark international fixtures, and high-profile IPL encounters, Arun Jaitley Stadium has retained its place as a central stage in Indian cricket. Steeped in layers of history and the constant energy of the capital, it remains a venue where the past and present of the game continue to meet under one skyline.

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, widely known as Chepauk, holds a special place in the cricketing life of Chennai and in the wider history of the Indian game. Established in 1916, the ground has long been a focal point for international and domestic cricket in the city, shaped as much by its atmosphere as by the moments it has hosted. The stadium is named after M. A. Chidambaram Chettiar, a former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a leading figure in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, whose role in the development of the game in the state remains closely associated with the venue. Today, Chepauk serves as the home ground of the Tamil Nadu cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, where its connection with a fiercely loyal fan base has become one of the defining features of the modern tournament. Chepauk’s international story began in 1934, when it hosted its first Test match, and it has since been the setting for several landmark moments. In 1952, it staged India’s first Test victory over England, a result that marked an important step in the team’s emergence on the world stage. The ground is also remembered for the 1986 Test between India and Australia, one of only a handful of tied Tests in the history of the game, a match that has passed into cricketing folklore. Across decades of Tests, One Day Internationals, T20 Internationals, and major domestic fixtures, Chepauk has developed a reputation for its distinctive character and conditions, often placing a premium on skill, patience, and adaptability. Set close to the heart of the city, it remains a venue where tradition and intensity meet, and where the story of Indian cricket continues to be written with every new generation.

Eden Gardens stands in the heart of Kolkata as one of the most revered addresses in world cricket, a venue where the sport’s history feels as present as its present-day spectacle. Established in 1864, the ground has grown into an enduring symbol of Indian cricket, shaped by generations of players, crowds, and moments that have travelled far beyond its stands. Located beside the Hooghly River in the Maidan area of the city, Eden Gardens has long been associated with scale and atmosphere. With a current seating capacity of around 68,000, it remains one of the largest cricket stadiums in the country, and its reputation for producing some of the most passionate and vocal crowds in the game has become part of cricketing folklore. Over the decades, the ground has hosted cricket across every era and format, serving as a regular stage for Tests, One Day Internationals, and T20 Internationals, as well as major domestic and league fixtures. It has been a venue for multiple ICC events, including matches in several Cricket World Cups, and has frequently been entrusted with high-stakes encounters that reflect its standing in the global game. Eden Gardens is remembered for a catalogue of defining moments. It hosted India’s first day-night Test match in 2019. The ground has also been the setting for iconic performances and dramatic finishes that have helped shape the modern narrative of Indian and international cricket. As the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, Eden Gardens continues to be a living, breathing part of the sport’s contemporary landscape. On match days, the sea of colour in the stands and the constant surge of sound give the venue a character that few grounds in the world can replicate. Rooted in more than a century and a half of history, Eden Gardens remains a place where the past and present coexist. It is not just a stadium, but a stage on which some of cricket’s most enduring stories have been told.