The Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground is a secondary, practice and domestic-level cricket ground located within the Ekana Sportz City complex in Gomti Nagar Extension, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The Ekana Cricket Stadium – officially known as the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium – is reserved for World Cup matches, IPL games and international fixtures. The B Ground is more than just a practice field though, regularly being used for domestic matches and even hosted its first Ranji Trophy semi-final in February 2026. Here’s the breakdown of Ekana Stadium B Ground – covering location, history, pitch tendencies, records and more.
Quick Facts
| Attribute | Details |
| Official Name | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B |
| Also Known As | Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground, Ekana B Ground |
| Location | Ekana Sportz City, Sector 7, Gomti Nagar Extension, Amar Shaheed Path, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – 226010 |
| Type | Secondary/domestic cricket ground within the Ekana Sportz City complex |
| Adjacent To | Main Ekana Cricket Stadium (50,000-seat international venue) |
| Primary Use | Domestic cricket (Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy), IPL/WPL practice sessions |
| Home Association | Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association — a secondary home venue for the Uttar Pradesh team (whose primary home is Green Park Stadium, Kanpur) |
| Associated Franchises | Lucknow Super Giants (IPL), UP Warriorz (WPL) — practice sessions |
| Biggest Match Hosted | 2025–26 Ranji Trophy 1st semi-final: Uttarakhand vs Karnataka (February 15–19, 2026) |
Location and How to Reach
The Ekana cricket Stadium b ground is located at Ekana Sportz City, Sector 7, Gomti Nagar Extension (Amar Shaheed Path), Lucknow. The same complex has the Main International Stadium as well. Easily accessible via the main roads of Shaheed Path and Gomti Nagar Extension, app-based cabs and autos and local buses are available from central Lucknow to reach the stadium. During big matches in the nearby main stadium, roads around the complex may be crowded. Therefore, you should arrive early if you are planning to watch a domestic match at Ekana Stadium B Ground.
History and Background
Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground was developed along with the main stadium and was ready by 2017. In fact, the entire complex was constructed with one clear aim in mind, giving Lucknow (and Uttar Pradesh cricket) a home of their own at the highest level. B Ground helps that stadium fulfill that aim by acting as the venue’s second functional ground. BCCI approved using the B Ground to host Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-finals as early as January 2018. Consequently, groundskeepers had to prepare the pitch and dressing rooms well before the main stadium opened.
This layout allows Ekana to stage double-headers, host large tournaments, and offer consistent training space. The ground regularly hosts Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group matches, including games in 2021 and 2025.
Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground Pitch Report
Reports of games played at the B Ground suggest that the pitch is reasonably even-paced throughout but with a tendency to become slightly more favourable for spin bowling as matches progress. This squares up with our understanding of pitches throughout the Ekana Sportz City complex. Domestic teams have generally found the surface respectable early on but, as has been the case throughout this ground, it has slowed up and gotten softer over time, offering more turn as well. Correspondingly, it has facilitated enjoyable T20 run-chases but also lower-scoring games that favour the bowlers.
However, the surface proved to be a genuine batting paradise during the February 2026 Ranji Trophy semi-final. Karnataka amassed over 1,000 runs across both innings, while Uttarakhand’s bowlers struggled for long periods. Owing to its relative newness, the pitch occasionally offers more bounce and carry than older Indian venues.
Ekana Cricket Stadium b Ground Weather
Weather conditions at the B Ground are similar to the main Lucknow stadium located beside it. November through February is cool and dry. Cooler mornings leave the pitch firmer, providing the exact conditions seen during the February 2026 Ranji Trophy semi-final. Conditions become hot and dry during April–June with temperatures easily reaching the high 30 degrees and 40 degree Celsius. Rainfall during the monsoon months of July–September represent the great risk. As a result, most competitive cricket at Lucknow’s stadium is played outside of these months. Late-day matches face evening dew, which makes the ball harder to grip later in the innings
Ekana Cricket Stadium b Ground Capacity
The B Ground comes into being considerably smaller than its 50,000 capacity neighbor, providing a low-stands, more intimate environment for domestic and training cricket as opposed to big crowds. The seating capacity and ground dimensions of B Ground are not regularly reported by the official statistics authorities of cricket and the numbers which have been floating around online should be interpreted as ‘best guess’ rather than an official number.
| Feature | Main Ekana Stadium | Ekana B Ground |
| Seating Capacity | Approximately 50,000 | Considerably smaller; exact figure unconfirmed |
| Level of Cricket | International (Tests, ODIs, T20Is, IPL, WPL) | Domestic (Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare) and practice sessions |
| Stands | Full multi-tier stadium stands | Minimal stands, simpler open setup |
| Primary Role | Marquee host venue | Feeder/support venue, knockout-stage host, and training facility |
Matches Hosted
The Ekana cricket Stadium b ground has featured in Indian domestic cricket for several seasons now, and its profile has grown steadily:
- Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches, run in parallel with the main stadium after BCCI approval first granted in January 2018.
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group-stage fixtures, including matches in the 2021–22 season and the 2025 season (such as a Railways vs Mumbai group match).
- Ranji Trophy 2025–26 semi-final (15–19 Feb 2026): Uttarakhand vs Karnataka, drawn — Karnataka reached the finals on the basis of first innings lead after making 736 and 323 against Uttarakhand’s 233 and 260/6. It is the highest-scoring match played on this ground.
- IPL and WPL team practice sessions, particularly for Lucknow Super Giants and UP Warriorz ahead of their home fixtures at the main ground.
It still hasn’t hosted international games, World Cup matches, or IPL/WPL league matches for now, which continue to take place at the main Ekana stadium next door. But hosting a Ranji Trophy semi-final certainly puts paid to any ideas that the B Ground is just a “practice ground”; it’s now clearly big enough to handle genuinely high-pressure domestic cricket.
Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Final
Its biggest match came in February 2026, hosting the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Uttarakhand and Karnataka; moreover, it was the first Ranji Trophy knockout match ever played on the ground. It ended in a high-scoring encounter: Karnataka made 736 all out in their first innings. Devdutt Padikkal (232), KL Rahul (141), and Smaran Ravichandran (135) scored centuries before Karnataka declared their second innings at 323. Chasing 827, Uttarakhand made 233 and 260/6 before the match ended in a fifth-day draw. Karnataka progressed to the final on the first innings lead. Karnataka played in their 15th Ranji Trophy final, their first since the 2014–15 season, and travelled to Hubballi for the match against Jammu and Kashmir.
Beyond formal tournament cricket, the ground is regularly used as a practice and training facility for IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants and WPL franchise UP Warriorz, both of which call the main Ekana stadium their home ground.
Notable Records at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground
As cricket statistics concerning matches played at the B Ground have not yet been centralized like those played at international venues of note, the most complete statistics presently known are as follows, from the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy semi-final.
- Highest individual score: Devdutt Padikkal 232 off 330 balls for Karnataka.
- Highest team total: Karnataka 736 all out (in first innings on Feb 2026) – by some distance the highest total known to have been scored on this ground.
- Highest match aggregate by one team: Karnataka’s combined score of 1,059 runs in two innings is the highest first-class innings run aggregate known for this venue.
Conclusion
The Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground may not be the big neighbour that gets the spotlight like the 50,000 seater arena, but it has a legitimate role to play in the cricketing world – providing training facilities to the Uttar Pradesh based IPL and WPL teams and offering a secondary home for tournament cricket in the state. It was a big step forward in February 2026 when it hosted a Ranji Trophy semi-final for the first time and witnessed one of the highest scoring games in its brief history. The B Ground, as a feeder ground, and as a punching bag for the knockout stages is expected to continue growing in importance in the future, particularly as Ekana Sportz City continues to emerge as one of the most important centres of Indian cricket.
FAQs
A1. Inside Ekana Sportz City, Sector 7, Gomti Nagar Extension, Amar Shaheed Path, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – 226010. Near the international Ekana stadium.
A2. No, The Ekana Cricket Stadium that people are referring to is the 50k-capacity international ground where World Cup, IPL, and WPL matches are played (Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium). The B ground is a much smaller ground also located within Ekana Sportz City that’s mostly used for domestic matches and practice sessions.
A3. So far its biggest match was in February 2026 — Ranji Trophy 2025–26 first semi-final between Uttarakhand and Karnataka. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group matches, Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts, and practice matches for IPL and WPL teams (Lucknow Super Giants and UP Warriorz).
A4. Not yet. World Cup matches, regular international games, and IPL/WPL league matches are played at the main Ekana stadium; only domestic cricket (including so far Ranji Trophy semi-finals) and team practice matches have been played at the B Ground.
A5. Yes and no. Uttar Pradesh play their domestic matches both at the B Ground and the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Green Park is their primary home ground, while Ekana – including the B Ground – is their secondary home ground.
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