The Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, formerly known as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, which was established in 1883, is owned and operated by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). The stadium located in New Delhi is the second oldest international stadium in India, after the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Stadium got its new name on September 12, 2019, in memory of former Finance Minister and DDCA President Arun Jaitely, who passed away on August 24, 2019. It has so far hosted numerous Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, thus far. Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals play their home matches at this venue.
In this article, we take a look at the stadium’s history, pitch report, records, and stats.
About Arun Jaitley Stadium
| Aspect | Details |
| Location | Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi |
| Established | 1883 |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium old name | Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium,named after Kolta Fort |
| Owner and Operator | Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) |
| Capacity of Arun Jaitley Stadium | 35,200 |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium boundary length | 68 meters for the straight boundaries and 65 meters for the square boundaries (on average) |
History of Arun Jaitley Stadium
| Event | Year/Date |
| Established as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium | 1883 |
| Hosted its first-ever Test match- India vs West Indies | 10 November 1948 |
| S Venkataraghavan picked 8 for 72 and 4 for 80 in his debut series against New Zealand | 1965 |
| Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th Test hundred, equalling Don Bradman’s then record | 1983 |
| Anil Kumble picked 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan | 1999 |
| Faced a 1-year ban by ICC due to the dangerous pitch condition | 2005 |
| Home of Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) | 2008 |
| Faced a 1-year ban by the ICC due to the dangerous pitch condition | 2009 |
| International cricket returned at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup | 2011 |
| Renamed Arun Jaitley Stadium | 2019 |
Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch report and conditions
The Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi generally favors the batters. The stadium has a dry nature with short boundaries, which allows batsmen to score boundaries effortlessly. As the game progresses, the stadium provides little assistance to spin bowlers as well. Typically, most of the team that won the toss at this venue opts to bat first.
Arun Jaitley Stadium Records and Stats
Statistics
| Category | Stats |
| Most successful team overall | India- 10 wins |
| The most successful bowler | England- 3 wins |
| Highest innings score | The most successful visiting team |
| Lowest innings score | 75 all out by India on 25 November 1987 |
| Wins batting first | 5 |
| Wins bowling first | 13 |
| Average innings score | 285 |
| Most runs | Sachin Tendulkar- 759 runs |
| Highest individual score | 243 by Virat Kohli v Sri Lanka on 3 December 2017 |
| Most successful bowler | Anil Kumble (58 wickets) |
Records
| Record |
| Highest Test score- West Indies 644–8 in 1959 and 631 all out in 1948Second highest- India 613-7 vs Australia in 2008Most runs- Dilip Vengsarkar (673 runs), Sunil Gavaskar (668 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (643 runs)Most wickets- Anil Kumble (58 wickets), Kapil Dev (32 wickets) and R Ashwin (27 wickets) |
| A team scored 300+ runs only twiceHighest total- 428/5 by South Africa against Sri Lanka at the 2023 Cricket World CupBatsmen who have scored centuries- Roy Dias (Sri Lanka), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Nick Knight (England), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Virat Kohli (India), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Usman Khawaja (Australia), Aiden Markram (South Africa), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Rohit Sharma (India), David Warner (Australia), Glenn Maxwell (Australia) and Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka)West Indies’ Viv Richards took 6 wickets against India in 1989 |
| First match- England vs Afghanistan in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. First-ever Indian international T20I- 1 November 2017 vs New Zealand, first match of the Bangladesh tour of India 2019–20, played on 3 November 2019, marked 1,000th men’s T20I Bangladesh emerged victorious, to record their first-ever victory against India |
| First match- England vs Afghanistan in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. First-ever Indian international T20I- 1 November 2017 vs New Zealand, first match of the Bangladesh tour of India 2019–20, played on 3 November 2019, marked 1,000th men’s T20I. Bangladesh emerged victorious, to record their first-ever victory against India |
Conclusion
The Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi is a testament to the rich cricketing heritage of the country. The venue is known for its historic matches and remarkable records, like legendary spin bowler Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul in a Test. The stadium also hosted numerous memorable matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It will continue to be a key venue for international and domestic cricket matches, inspiring future generations of cricketers and passionate fans.
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