R. Premadasa Stadium is one of the main cricket venues in Sri Lanka and a significant home ground for the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The stadium is based in Colombo and has been host to Test matches, ODIs, T20 internationals and a number of premier competitions domestically and internationally. With its history, huge crowd capacity and countless memorable performances, it is one of the most iconic venues in Sri Lankan cricket.
Originally established as Khettarama Stadium, the ground was opened in 1986. In June 1994 it was renamed as R. Premadasa Stadium. Today, the ground is one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent international cricket venues. MEADOWS FIRE, Oct. Measurements of its capacity by venue listings available today put it at about 35,000 spectators — and as one capable of day-night cricket with floodlights.
R. Premadasa Stadium Overview
R. Premadasa Stadium is located in Khettarama, Colombo, Sri Lankgour. The home ground of the Sri Lankan cricket team, it has also been used for both international and domestic cricket as far back as several decades.
The stadium is especially famous for limited overs cricket. It has hosted plenty of ODIs and T20s as well as some important Test matches.
R. Premadasa Stadium Key Facts
| Feature | Details |
| Stadium | R. Premadasa Stadium |
| Location | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Former name | Khettarama Stadium |
| Renamed | June 1994 |
| Capacity | Around 35,000 |
| Home team | Sri Lanka |
| Floodlights | Yes |
| Ends | Khettarama End, Scoreboard End |
| Time zone | UTC +5:30 |
We have your history of the venue from Sri Lanka Cricket in developing international cricket facilities. Sri Lanka Cricket also undertook extensive renovation work at the stadium including in the pavilions and lighting systems, as well as around spectator areas.
R. Premadasa Stadium History
Theory: The R. Premadasa Stadium history dates back to the 1980s when the area was developed into an international cricket stadium. Sri Lanka Cricket says the site had been used as a rubbish dump before former President R. Premadasa backed development of a large international cricket stadium on it. The stadium was completed in 1986.
Thereupon, it was rated to be a cricket stadium in Khettarama. It was renamed as R. Premadasa Stadium and is named after the former president of Sri Lanka, Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1994.
The ground served as a key venue in Sri Lanka’s international schedule over the years. In addition, its floodlights cemented its status as a prime location for day-night matches.
Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Tuesday a major refurbishment project at the venue in 2020. – Scope of Project: Work included on pavilions, staircases, lighting systems and enclosure for spectators. Thousands of extra seats were part of the redevelopment as well, Sri Lanka Cricket said.
R. Premadasa Stadium Capacity and Facilities
It now claims a capacity of around 35000 spectators at the R. Premadasa Stadium. This makes it into one of the bigger grounds available for cricket in Sri Lanka.
It has spectator stands, player amenities, media zones and floodlighting. The development too centres around spectator comfort and bringing old facilities into the modern age.
The initial refurbishment project for the venue included renovations to some of the stadium’s pavilions as well as improvements to lighting systems and spectator enclosures, SLC said. In a 2020 announcement, Sri Lanka Cricket stated the project also included an addition of 3,000 and 5,000 seats in enclosed concrete areas.
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R. Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report
R. Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report: For the R. Premadasa stadium pitch report check format wise, surface preparation & weather conditions Surface is a good one for the batters and spin bowlers, like most of the pitches in Sri Lanka.
The venue has produced very high-scoring matches as well, but bowlers have also had their few days where conditions swing in the favour of the fast men. However, in limited-overs cricket if the pitch is good it comes at a price for batsmen who can score freely, while spinners play as significant a role as they did when gen U1450 started playing.
Venue Stats: In ODIs, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo — average first-innings score 231; average first-innings score is just 145 in T20s. The mean score in the first innings is 319, which is given for Tests.
Test Matches
The ground tends to yield large scores in Test matches. The historical average first-innings score at the venue is 319, second-innings is 385 in the current database.
ODI Matches
The ODI surface is usually very competitive. The average score for the first innings currently stands at 231 whereas in the second, it is 189.
T20 Matches
The venue also tends to be more aggressive for T20 cricket so, yeah. The first-innings average is 145 and the second-innings average is 129.
Batting or Bowling pitch: R. Premadasa Stadium
The R. Premadasa Stadium, is it a batting venue or bowling?
The answer is simple: It can support both depending on the conditions. A batting track that lets stroke players cash in and spin could be a huge factor as a match evolves.
Teams rarely go all-out, however, in T20 cricket and the venue records show a disparity between first- and second-items scores. Both formats: The history of big totals in Tests suggests that, when the conditions become conducive for batting, batsmen have had their fun.
Because the toss and conditions of the match can be crucial. Usually on the day of a match, teams check pitch, humidity and wind and dew expected – before choosing to bat or bowl first.
R. Premadasa Stadium ODI Records
R. Premadasa stadium ODI records; The venue has now become one of the most relevant venues in ODI cricket.
2011 saw the completion of the ground with excellent pitch and outfield facilities; current venue stats are 187 ODIs. That count must yet be split – so far, out of the first 215 this World Cup, teams batting first have won 104 and teams bowling first, 71.
| ODI Record | Statistic |
| Matches | 187 |
| Average 1st innings | 231 |
| Average 2nd innings | 189 |
| Highest total | 375/5 |
| Lowest total | 50 all out |
| Highest successful chase | 292/4 |
The highest ODI team total currently listed for the venue is India’s 375/5 against Sri Lanka. India’s 295/4 in the second ODI of the third place play-off against Sri Lanka which was earlier the highest successful assay chased here.
The information is quantified by saying the stadium has had some excellent batting days and also, very difficult ones for batting teams.
R. Premadasa Stadium Test Records
The Ground is mainly identified with Limited-Overs format but Test Cricket has been played here also.
There are currently eight Test matches listed at the ground. The largest Test score in history is Sri Lanka’s colossal 952/6 declared versus India, in 1997. Even now it’s one of the most spectacular matches in Test cricket.
| Test Record | Statistic |
| Matches | 8 |
| Average 1st innings | 319 |
| Average 2nd innings | 385 |
| Average 3rd innings | 288 |
| Average 4th innings | 246 |
| Highest total | 952/6 declared |
| Lowest total | 86 all out |
| Highest chase | 391/6 |
The Test records at R. Premadasa Stadium show you just how tough and volatile the match can be in Galle. Very high totals have been set, but the average for fourth-innings is much lower than that of the initial innings.
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R. Premadasa Stadium T20I Records
The site has also become a major stop for T20 cricket.
Having a look at the current venue stats, it was an upsetting read for the teams batting first as they had won 28 T20 matches (vs 37 wins for teams batting second) out of 66. Average first-innings score in T20s: 145
| T20 Record | Statistic |
| Matches | 66 |
| Average 1st innings | 145 |
| Average 2nd innings | 129 |
| Highest total | 215/5 |
| Highest successful chase | 215/5 |
| Lowest listed total | 80 all out |
Bangladesh’s 215/5 against Sri Lanka is the highest T20 total ever registered at the venue, and indeed was also chased successfully.
R. Premadasa Stadium Average Score
The R. Premadasa Stadium average score is format-dependent.
Best Result: 1-8 (Overton, 2023) First-innings scores at the venue in Test matches: Average – 319 This is 231 in ODIs, and the first-innings average in T20 matches is 145.
| Format | Average 1st Innings Score |
| Test | 319 |
| ODI | 231 |
| T20 | 145 |
These are historical statistics and not applicable to future match processes. The way a game unfolds can depend on pitch preparation, the strength of the opposition and weather among many other facets.
R. Premadasa Stadium Highest Score
One of the most notable records regarding the highest score at R. Premadasa Stadium is Sri Lanka’s 952/6 declared against India in Test cricket in 1997. To date, this is the largest Test team total that the venue has ever recorded.
As such, India’s 375/5 against Sri Lanka is currently the highest team total at the ground included in ODI cricket. They registered the highest total at 215/5 versus Sri Lanka in T20 cricket as well.
R. Premadasa Stadium Famous Matches
A list of some famous international matches played at R. Premadasa Stadium
Arguably the biggest came in when Sri Lanka scored 952/6 declared vs India Test in 1997. It went down as one of the statistical highlights in the history of this stadium.
It has witnessed many high-profile ODI and T20I matches involving Sri Lanka and touring international teams. With its long history of international cricket, many generations have played in Sri Lanka for the country at the ground.
R. Premadasa Stadium Seating Capacity and Stands
The R. Premadasa Stadium can accommodate around 35,000 spectators. The facility will feature multiple viewing areas and also revamped concrete enclosures.
Sri Lanka Cricket had announced the refurbishment to make the stadium better as well as spectator friendly. The upgrades consisted of turf seating in pavilions, illumination and enclosing areas for spectators.
For big-time global games, the crowd at an international game will be boisterous – especially when Sri Lanka is playing on his home turf.
R. Premadasa Stadium Weather
The weather at the R. Premadasa Stadium is an essential factor in cricket. Colombo has a warm humid climate and rain can sometimes affect outdoor sporting events.
The ball’s behaviour can be affected by the humidity, while evening conditions could bring dew into play in limited-overs games. Teams will have to also take rain interruptions into account.
This is why players and support staff keep a very close eye on the weather before during (and sometimes) after matches. Though powerful, weather conditions should never be considered static; they can differ from match day to match day.
R. Premadasa stadium how to reach
The stadium is easily accessible by road in taxis, ride-hailing services and public transports that connect the stadium with various parts of Colombo.
Given the fact that traffic near big sporting events can be packed, it makes sense to give extra time for travel on match days. Ticket holders must also confirm their entry gate and stadium information, prior to venturing out for the venue.
As transport arrangements can be subject to change for high-profile matches, beginners are advised to check the local information before travelling.
R. Premadasa Stadium Location
Address – Khettarama Temple Rd, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka
The location of R. Premadasa Stadium is Colombo, Sri Lanka (in Maligawatte area, also known as Khettarama). It’s fairly near the core of Colombo, thus making it a major context for cricket fans from around the country and visiting ones.
For those travelling by taxi and ride-hailing, the stadium is an easy destination for visitors. Depending on where the visitor is coming from, they can also use public transport. Traffic and event-day plans can be altered, so fans should consult updated local transport options before setting off.
Colombo is labelled as the ground location and Khettarama and Scoreboard are recorded as its two ends on the venues list from ICC.
The Significance of R. Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lankan Cricket
R. Premadasa Stadium may not hold a mammoth status in terms of its size and statistics but – after Eden Gardens, it is the second largest stadium globally which hosts limited overs format and also has a significant number of ODIs under its belt with hundreds more than played at lower end venues across the globe. It marks yet another milestone in the evolution of Sri Lankan cricket.
The ground has had international cricket since the 1980s and has been home to multiple generations of Sri Lankan cricketers. It also hosted key matches under floodlights and still serves a major role in international and domestic cricket.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s investment in improvements has allowed the ground to both retain its character, and get facilities ready for contemporary cricket.
It is one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in Sri Lanka due to its history, international matches, Elliot memorial and home support.
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FAQs
1. Where is R. Premadasa Stadium located?
R. Premadasa Stadium is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in the Khettarama area of Maligawatte.
2. What is the capacity of R. Premadasa Stadium?
The current venue listing gives the capacity as approximately 35,000 spectators.
3. When was R. Premadasa Stadium built?
The stadium was opened in 1986.
4. What was R. Premadasa Stadium previously called?
It was previously known as Khettarama Stadium or Khettarama Cricket Stadium. The name was changed in 1994.
5. Is R. Premadasa Stadium good for batting?
It can be good for batting when conditions are favourable, but the pitch can also provide opportunities for spin and other bowlers. Conditions vary between matches.
6. What is the highest score at R. Premadasa Stadium?
The highest team total currently listed is 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in Test cricket.
7. What is the R. Premadasa Stadium pitch report?
The pitch can offer opportunities to batsmen and bowlers. Test cricket has produced very high totals, while ODI and T20 conditions can support attacking batting and spin bowling depending on the surface and weather.
Conclusion
More than just a cricket ground in Colombo: R. Premadasa Stadium A historic Sri Lankan venue which has hosted international cricket for well over decades and given some incredible records. The ground has continued to play an integral role in Sri Lanka’s cricketing framework from its establishment in 1986 and previous guise as Khettarama Stadium through its more current reconfigured venues.
It is a major venue for cricket fans due to its floodlights and international experience, as well as memorable matches that were played with a capacity of approximately 35,000. The wonderful 952/6 Test total, the strong ODI history as well as its growing T20 significance also confirm why the stadium remains a unique entity of Sri Lanka cricket.