Lucknow’s Ekana is all set to host an international T20 match after a gap of almost four years. The Indian cricket team will play against Srilanka on March 18, 2021. Earlier in the year 2018, India played a T20 match against West Indies here.
Lucknow’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee International (Ekana) Stadium is becoming a popular choice of the BCCI for international cricket matches. Furthermore, nearly after 28 years, Ekana will also be the test match venue when the New Zealand team will tour India after the T20 World Cup.
Ekana Stadium: The Big Cricket Center
Built over the banks of river Gomti, the Ekana Stadium has nine pitches, spread over 70 acres. The renowned stadium of Lucknow has a parking facility for one thousand cars and five thousand two-wheelers. More than fifty thousand spectators can enjoy the match at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium.
There are 232 seats in the first, 228 in the second, 144 in the third and 120 in the fourth lounge. Built at a cost of Rs 530 crore, this stadium has four VIP lounges.
Ekana Cricket Stadium, after renovation in 2016, was renamed Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium.
Feat So Far
The stadium has been the venue of first-class matches since 2016. It was the venue of the India- West Indies T20 match in 2018. Later, India-South Africa one-day series match in 2020, but the series was canceled due to Corona infection.
Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Ekana Cricket Stadium will also host matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy starting from 4th November. Teams from Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Goa and Puducherry will reach Lucknow by 27 October and matches will start after spending the quarantine period.
The last match played in Lucknow was India versus Sri Lanka at the KD Singh Babu Stadium in January 1994.
The stadium held its maiden international match on November 6, 2018, a Twenty20 International (T20I) between India and the West Indies. Rohit Sharma became the first cricketer to make four hundred in T20Is in the match.
