On April 21, 2008, the iconic Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur hosted its first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) match with hosts Rajasthan Royals successfully chasing down 166 to beat Punjab Kings, then Kings XI Punjab, by six wickets.
In the 50-plus IPL matches that have been played in Jaipur since then, the surface at the SMS Stadium has stayed true to the trend.
The venue has historically favoured chasing teams with sides batting second winning 38 of the 59 IPL matches played here, which roughly translates to a 65 per cent success rate. The data suggests that the pitch often becomes more favourable for batting under lights, making run-chases more manageable.
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Overall, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch has been known to be a fairly balanced playing surface which can favour both batters and bowlers depending on external conditions.
The highest team total recorded here is 217 (by Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023) while the lowest is 59 (by RR in the same season) highlighting the pitch's variability. These contrasting numbers indicate that while the pitch can be conducive to high scores on certain days, it can also tilt the scale in the bowlers’ favour under favorable conditions.
Statistically, the pitch has an average of 28.83 runs per wicket and a strike rate of 21.2, further indicating a competitive balance between bat and ball. The mean batting strike rate in both innings at the venue hovers around the 136-mark.
The average first innings score at the venue is 162.02 while the average second innings score is 149.7.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch report - key IPL stats
Stat | Numbers |
Matches played | 59 |
Matches won batting first | 21 (35.59%) |
Matches won batting second | 38 (64.41%) |
Matches won winning toss | 32 (54.24%) |
Matches won losing toss | 27 (45.76%) |
Highest individual score | 113* - Virat Kohli - RCB vs RR (IPL 2024) |
Best bowling figures | 6/14 - Sohail Tanvir RR vs CSK (IPL 2008) |
Highest team total | 217/6 - SRH vs RR (IPL 2023) |
Lowest team total | 59 - RR vs RCB (IPL 2023) |
Highest successful run chase | 217/6 - SRH vs RR (IPL 2023) |
Average runs per wicket | 28.83 |
Average runs per over | 8.17 |
Average score batting first (strike rate) | 162.02 (135.7) |
Average score batting second (strike rate) | 149.7 (136.5) |
Total 200+ scores | 3 |
Highest 1st innings total | 214/2 - RR vs - SRH (IPL 2023) |
Highest 2nd innings total | 217/6 - SRH vs RR (IPL 2023) |
For complete T20 records at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, check here.
Over the last 10 matches played before the start of IPL 2025, the average first-innings score has risen to 179.5, while the second-innings average stands at 162.6. However, this increase is more indicative of the IPL's overall trend toward higher-scoring games rather than any significant change in the pitch's nature.
Coin tosses haven’t had much of an impact at the venue with 54.24% of matches won by teams winning the flip.
The massive outfield, known to be one of the biggest among all IPL grounds, also plays a major role in match outcomes at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Over 60 per cent of the 638 wickets which have fallen in the 59 IPL matches at the venue till date has been caught outs, with a large chunk of these held up in the deep.
This indicates that it’s fairly difficult to clear the boundary at the SMS Stadium and big scores are not very commonplace.
In fact, the 200-run barrier has been breached only three times in Jaipur which is one of the least among the active IPL venues. Two of these transpired in the same match as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 217/6 in 19.5 overs to successfully chase down the Royal’s 1st innings score of 214/2
SRH’s total is both the highest team total and the highest successful run chase at the venue.
RR had posted 202 against Chennai Super Kings in the same season.
Virat Kohli's unbeaten 113 in IPL 2024 is the highest individual score at this venue. On the bowling front, Sohail Tanvir's remarkable 6/14 in 2008 remains the best bowling performance, reflecting the pitch's capability of offering assistance to bowlers.
Overall, medium pacer Siddharth Trivedi is the top IPL wicket-taker at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with 36 scalps from 32 matches while legendary spinner Shane Warne, who led RR to the inaugural IPL trophy in 2008, is second on the list with 20 wickets in 17 matches.
Both spinners and fast bowlers can extract purchase off the SMS Stadium pitch.
Ajinkya Rahane is the top scorer at the ground in IPL matches with 1115 runs in 37 matches. Current RR captain Sanju Samson is third on the leaderboard after Shane Watson.
In summary, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium offers a sporting wicket that slightly favours chasing teams. While batters can score big, bowlers can also extract assistance, making for an intriguing contest.
