Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

Formerly known as Ekana Cricket Stadium, in 2018, the state government decided to rename it in honour of the former Indian Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

This stadium was commissioned in the year 2014 and hosted its first international match four years later. Before that, it had played host to the final of the 2017-18 Duleep Trophy. Situated in the beautiful city of Lucknow, a place known for its manners, poetry, music and delicious cuisines, this stadium has a seating capacity of more than 50,000 spectators.

In 2018, the doors of international cricket opened for the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium when India hosted West Indies in a T20I match. That game was a special one as the home team not only outclassed the Men in Maroon but also witnessed the fourth T20I century from the bat of Rohit Sharma, who became the first cricketer to achieve this feat in this notorious format.

In the Indian T20 League, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium acts as the home ground for the Lucknow franchise, and it has also offered its services to the Afghanistan national team by allowing them to host a few of their international games.

This venue has witnessed quite a few international games across formats and is picked to host five games of the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2023, which includes a blockbuster clash between India and England.