ODI World Cup 2023 Venues: Ekana International Stadium capacity, WC schedule, Pitch & More

ICC Cricket World Cup: The biggest cricketing carnival is just around the corner and it will be hosted by a country where the sport is nothing less than the religion. When Rohit Sharma and his defiant Indian team walk out to the battlefield, the war cries of 'India India' will come alive as the entire nation will bleed blue. The two time ODI World Champions open their World Cup campaign against Australia and will like to stamp their authority on the tournament straightaway.

Much like the IND vs AUS and the IND vs PAK rivalry, all eyes will be set on the IND vs ENG game too. The English cricket team is the defending champion of the ODI World Cup and they certainly are a force to reckon with. The slam bang kind of cricketing prowess that England hold is very tough to get past and India certainly will have to brave this challenge when they take on Jos Buttler and Co. at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Let's deep dive and get to know the venue better

ICC ODI WC 2023 games in Lucknow

• October 12, 2023: Australia vs South Africa
• October 16, 2023: Australia vs Sri Lanka
• October 21, 2023: Netherlands vs Sri Lanka
• October 29, 2023: India vs England
• November 03, 2023: Netherlands vs Afghanistan

History of the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

The project of constructing the stadium started in 2014 and was built under public-private partnership between Ekana Sportz City and Lucknow Development Authority. The stadium first hosted the final of 2017–18 Duleep Trophy before making its international debut. The stadium first hosted an international game in 2018, a T20I game between India and West Indies and became the 52nd stadium in India to host an international match. Later in 2019, the Afghanistan Cricket Board requested the BCCI to let them use this venue for their international matches.

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The facilities at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

• Seating capacity for 50,000 spectators
• Six halogen floodlights
• Separate practice grounds having 19 pitches
• Players dressing room and dining area (for both home and away team)
• North and South Pavilion
• Umpire Box
• Match Official box
• 32 corporate boxes (16 at each ends)

The Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow pitch

There was a lot of a talk about the pitch at Ekana after Indian skipper Hardik Pandya criticized the surface and termed it as a 'shocker' following a low scoring IND vs NZ T20I encounter. After the conclusion of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, the surface is believed to have gone through a plethora of changes. The stadium has a total of nine pitches (4 black soil pitches and 5 red soil pitches).

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Red Soil vs Black Soil pitches at Ekana Stadium

Black Soil: The Ekana Cricket Stadium features black soil pitches that helps the seamers. The spinners are also expected to make their presence felt during the middle overs. Dew can be an issue in night matches, which will make it very tough for bowlers to grip the ball in the second innings.

Red soil: The red soil pitches ensure a lot of bounce and spinners and while bowling in it as they are always in the game. If the surface ain't watered enough, the red soil pitches are the ones which tend to crumble fast, making survival all the more challenging for batsmen.

The drainage system at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow 

The drainage is a herringbone system which resembles the bones of a herring fish. This system has a  central sloping pipe with lateral pipes which helps in the efficient management of the accumulation of extra water. 

ODI statistics of Ekana Stadium, Lucknow so far

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Here's how the pitch will favour India in their match against England

The only thing that can go against India is the toss and if England chose to chase at this particular venue. But more than anything else, it is a perfectly win win situation for India. With the likes of Kuldeep, Jadeja and Axar/Ashwin at their disposal, India will have a fair chance of restricting England to a low total irrespective of defending or chasing. The surface at Ekana is on the slower side where the ball sticks, much contrary to how the England players like it.