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Sawai Mansingh Stadium

Often referred to as the SMS Stadium, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is the home ground of the Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals.

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Quick facts

Stadium NameSawai Mansingh Stadium
Place, CountryJaipur, India
Established1969
Seating Capacity30,000

Often referred to as the SMS Stadium, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is the home ground of the Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals.

Built more than 55 years ago, the stadium held its first and to date only Test match so far in February 1987. Pakistan were the visitors but heavy rain and controversy over the use of sawdust on the surface ended the game. 

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium held World Cup matches in 1987 and 1996 but it has fallen out of favour on the international circuit of late, with newer stadiums in India typically being preferred. Virat Kohli made a bit of history on the Jaipur ground when he hit the fastest ODI 100 for India during a game against Australia, with the innings helping the hosts to chase down a total of 359. That October 2013 fixture was the last time an ODI game has been played at the SMS venue. 

Back in 2008, an IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings saw Sohail Tanvir become the first bowler to take six wickets during an innings. Our full OCB guide to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium tells you everything you need to know about the place, so read on. 

Cricket Ground Pitch Report

Sawai Mansingh Stadium Pitch Report

Big scores are quite rare at the SMS and it has a reputation for being bowler-friendly compared to a lot of the other venues used in the Indian Premier League. With long straight boundaries, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch report often sees spin as a major factor in the middle overs. 

Pace bowlers tend to be in the game early on at the SMS, but they do have some of the highest economy rates on this ground in Twenty20 matches. Orthodox bowlers tend to go for the lowest amount of runs at the Jaipur ground, where there is a large advantage to batting second. Data from Cricmetric shows that almost two-thirds (62.5%) of teams chasing down totals win their matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium compared to just 37.5% of teams that bat first in T20s. 

While not considered to be a high-scoring venue during IPL history, the average first innings score in T20 matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the 2024 season was 187.2. This is compared to under 126 a couple of years prior, so perhaps batting is now getting easier here. England's major star Jos Buttler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, is the top-scoring batter. 

FAQs

During the 2024 season of the IPL, the average first innings T20 score at the SMS was 187.2, which is the highest on record at this venue and a big spike on the low of under 126 in 2022.
The SMS is known for its long boundaries while the surface tends to take plenty of spin, so it can be a useful ground for teams with good slow bowlers in their side.
With the SMS being located in the semi-arid Thar Desert in Rajasthan, the Jaipur weather includes hot and dry summers, with that season running from around March to May.
History suggests that the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch report favours bowlers, with the ground usually ranked among the lowest scoring venues in the IPL, but this was not the case in 2024.
Jamie Smith, sports contributor at ocbscores.com
Jamie SmithContributor

A sport obsessive, Jamie has been writing professionally for 15 years and now specialises in online betting content. Cricket is his favourite sport to watch - and have a bet on! - with the legendary England bowler James Anderson actually hailing from his home town.

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