The Ranasinghe Premadasa Cricket Stadium (RPS) (, ; formerly known as Khettarama Stadium) is a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

stadium on Khettarama Road, in the

Maligawatta Maligawatta is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Maligawatta is located approximately north-east from the centre of Colombo, Colombo Fort. The name Maligawatta is from the Sinhalese language which translates into ''garden of the palace''. The R. ...

suburb of

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, before June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues where the

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n cricket team play, having hosted more than 100 one-day international matches. It is the largest stadium in Sri Lanka with a capacity of 35,000 spectators. It has hosted the

2012 ICC World Twenty20 The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was the fourth edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20, an international Twenty20 International, Twenty20 cricket tournament that took place in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 O ...

final between

and

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

; the

2002 ICC Champions Trophy The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy was a cricket tournament held in Sri Lanka in 2002. It marked the third edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, with the previous two tournaments being known as the ICC Knock Out Tournaments. Originally scheduled to be ...

final between Sri Lanka and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and first semi-final of the

2011 ICC Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while the latter hosted World Cup matches for the first time. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the f ...

between Sri Lanka and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. This was where the highest Test score in history was recorded; 952 by Sri Lanka against India. With capacity exceeding

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...

in England, the stadium is known as the "home of

Sri Lankan cricket Sri Lanka is one of the twelve nations that take part in Test cricket and one of the six nations that has won a cricket World Cup. Cricket is played at professional, semi-professional and recreational levels in the country and international cri ...

History

Renovation

The Premadasa Stadium underwent a reconstruction project in preparation for the

2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while the latter hosted World Cup matches for the first time. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the 2 ...

. The stadium has been undergoing large-scale renovations since 2009. It has had its seating capacity increase from 14,000 to 40,000, the media box accommodating 200 journalists, and other upgrades. The renovations have cost

Sri Lanka Cricket Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It was first registered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports (Sri Lanka), Ministry of Sports as the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka on 30 June 1975 as a national ...

$8 million. In July 2010, a report filed by the ICC pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, raised concerns over the condition of the outfield and the pitch claiming he was worried at the slow pace of progress. Although none of the buildings at the stadium was near completion, the 2nd Test of the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in 2010, was held at the venue in 23–27 November. Sri Lanka Cricket defended choosing the stadium saying that the decision to stage a game was to allow cricketers to acclimatize themselves to the ground ahead of the World Cup games. The Test match was staged using temporary seating for spectators in a corner of the stadium as only players' pavilions had permanent arrangements. Since the press box was not completed reporters and commentators facing technical difficulties used a makeshift arrangement. File:Block B, RPS Colombo.jpg, Renovated Pavilion B File:RPS, Colombo.jpg The main four public stands were refurbished along with the player dressing room area and the corporate boxes. A VIP car park is at the northern end of the ground.

Stadium plan

File:Floodlighted RPS International Cricket Stadium.jpg File:Block A, RPS Colombo.jpg Pavilions A and B are fully equipped with seating in two tiers, lower and higher. Several corporate boxes are built in these two stands. Pavilions C and D are built between the scoreboard in the stadium with a two-tiered seating system. The lower tiers have concrete paving allocated for floor seating and the upper tier includes fully standard seating blocks. The grandstand and top-level block above the player pavilions have enhanced quality seating. Pavilions A and B give a moderate view of the scoreboard while the grandstand not only gives a good view of the scoreboard but also the game and pitch.

After renovation

The R Premadasa Stadium hosted seven successful World Cup matches including a quarter-final and a semi-final. On 10 May 2011

secretary Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed that the first edition of

2011 Sri Lanka Premier League The 2011 Sri Lanka Premier League was a postponed Twenty20 cricket league. It was scheduled as the first edition of the new Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Sri Lanka, from 19 July to 4 August. It was postponed until 2012, which was held ...

's matches would play at R Premadasa Stadium. The tournament was later postponed till 2012 due to financial complications and internal regime change at Sri Lanka Cricket. On 21 September 2011, it was announced that the stadium would host fifteen

matches, including the semi-finals and the final.

Asia Cup 2023

The Premdasa Stadium was chosen as one of the four venues to host the matches of the

2023 Asia Cup The 2023 Asia Cup (also known as Super 11 Asia Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th edition of the men's Asia Cup cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players ...

, which

were co-hosting along with

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The stadium hosted 5 out of the 6 Super Four matches, while also hosting the tournament final.

Ground figures

International Matches

Key

* P Matches Played * H Matches Won by Home Side * T Matches Won by Touring Side * N Matches Won by Neutral Side *D/N/T Matches Drawn/No Result/Tied

Test cricket

*The highest Test total of all time was recorded at the R Premadasa Stadium is 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997. *The lowest Test total is 87 by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 2005. *

Sanath Jayasuriya Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (, ; born 30 June 1969), is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, captain, cricket administrator and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest all rounders ever to play in ODI cricket. A left arm orthodox sp ...

scored 340 against India in 1997. This remains the highest score at R Premadasa Stadium. * The 36 wickets captured by

Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...

remains the most number of wickets at the R Premadasa stadium. * The best bowling figures in an innings is 7/89 by

Rangana Herath Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath (; ; born 19 March 1978), known as Rangana Herath is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played all forms of cricket game and a former Test cricket captain for Sri Lanka. Considered as one of the ...

against Bangladesh in the 2012/13 season. *

's 9/60 remains the best bowling figures in a match.

One Day Internationals

*The highest ODI total is 375/5 by India against Sri Lanka on 31 August 2017. *

has scored 2514 runs which is the highest by a single player at the Premadasa stadium and he held the record for being the highest runs scored in a single cricket ground till January 2018 before

Tamim Iqbal Tamim Iqbal Khan ( Bengali: তামিম ইকবাল খান; born 20 March 1989), commonly known as Tamim Iqbal, is a Bangladeshi former international cricketer and commentator from Chittagong who was captain of the national team in O ...

take over it.

Marvan Atapattu Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (, , born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, commentator and former professional cricketer. He played international cricket for the Sri Lankan cricket team from 1990 to 2007. A top-order batsman, ...

Aravinda de Silva Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva (, ; born 17 October 1965) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain, regarded as one of the best Sri Lankan cricketers, he played in the team as an all-rounder. De Silva was a key member of the Sri L ...

Mahela Jayawardene Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene (; born 27 May 1977) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team, Sri Lankan national cricket team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

Kumar Sangakkara Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. A former captain in all formats. He was born in Matale, Central Province. In first-class cricke ...

and

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...

has scored more than 1000 runs. *

with 75 scalps has captured the most number of wickets at the Premadasa stadium. *The highest individual score at R Premadasa stadium is 169 by

against South Africa in the 2013 season. *R Premedasa stadium became the first in Sri Lanka and fourth in the world to reach 100 ODIs hosted stadium. *

Lasith Malinga Separamadu Lasith Malinga (; ; born 28 August 1983) is a Sri Lankan former cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest limited overs bowlers of all time. Playing as a right-arm fast bowler, Malinga was commonly used as a specialist ...

has taken two ODI hat-tricks at this stadium. The first came against Kenya in the 2011 World Cup and the second versus Australia on 22 August 2011

Twenty20 Internationals

* The first match played on 10 February 2009 involving Sri Lanka and

* Highest team total at the R. Premadasa Stadium is 215/5 by

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

against

. * The lowest total is 80 by

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 21 September 2012. * Sri Lanka has lost 9 of 10 matches played on this ground, which is the worst home ground for Sri Lanka. * Sri Lanka won the T20I series against India for the first time at this ground in 2021.

World Cup Cricket

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

ICC cricket world cups R. Premadasa Stadium hosted nine matches including a quarter-final match and a semi-final match. It has hosted the highest number of cricket World Cup matches in

1996 Cricket World Cup

----

2011 Cricket World Cup

;Group matches ;Quarter-finals ;Semi-finals

ICC Champions Trophy Cricket

The

was held in

. Nine matches were played in R. Premadasa Stadium including the semi-finals and the final. Other matches were played in SSC.

2002 ICC Champions Trophy

;Group matches ;Semi-finals ;Final

ICC World Twenty20

hosted the

. Fifteen out of twenty-seven matches were played at R. Premadasa Stadium, including the semi-finals and the final. Other matches were played in

Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (, ) is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The stadium opened on 27 November 2009 and became the world's 104th Test venue in December 2010. Location and background The stadium is located about east ...

and

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, also known as Sooriyawewa International Cricket Stadium (, ), and abbreviately as MRIC Stadium, is an international cricket stadium in Sooriyawewa, Sri Lanka. It was built for the 2011 Cricket Worl ...

2012 ICC World Twenty20

;Group matches ;Super 8s ;Semi-finals ;Final

Gallery

File:R_Premadasa_Stadium.jpg, At night, with the lights on (before redevelopment) File:Block C, D of RPS Colombo.jpg, Pavilion C and D, August 2011 File:Floodlights at RPS, Colombo.jpg, Floodlights at the RPS, Colombo File:Sri Lanka vs Australia cricket game in Colombo.jpg, Australia took on Sri Lanka in two ODIs, August 2011 File:Ground Staff pull the on the covers to protect the ground, August 2011.jpg, Premadasa Stadium being fully covered due to rain File:SL v Aus interrupted by rain.jpg, Ground fully masked by covers, August 2011

References

External links

Cricinfo profile on R. Premadasa Stadium
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ICC World Twenty20 The ICC Men's T20 World Cup, formerly the ICC World Twenty20, is a biennial world cup for cricket in Twenty20 International (T20I) format, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was held in every odd year from 2007 to 2009, ...

Final Venue , before =

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, after =

Sher-e-Bangla Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (26 October 1873 – 27 April 1962), popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Bengali lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest prime minister of Bengal during the British Raj. He is well-known to present ...

, years =

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

{{End {{Cricket in Sri Lanka {{Test Cricket Grounds of Sri Lanka {{2012 ICC World Twenty20, state=collapsed {{Colombo , state=collapsed Cricket grounds in Colombo Test cricket grounds in Sri Lanka 1986 establishments in Sri Lanka