When India will face New Zealand on 16 October 2024 for a Test match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, it will be the 25th Test Match at that venue. Thus the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium will join the illustrious list of other venues in India like the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Arun Jaitley Stdium in Delhi who has hosted 25 or more Test matches.
Flanked by the picturesque Cubbon Park, Queen's Road, Cubbon Road and MG Road, this five-decade-old stadium is situated in the heart of the city of Bengaluru. The stadium, which has a seating capacity of 33,800, is the home ground of the Karnataka state cricket team, Karnataka women's cricket team and IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Formerly known as the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, it was later rechristened in tribute to Mangalam Chinnaswamy, a lawyer from Mandya and the founding member of the Mysore State Cricket Association, who later served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1977 to 1980.
The stadium was built in the year 1972 and was first used for first-class cricket matches during the 1972–73 season. It earned test status during the 1974–75 season when the West Indies toured India.
The first Test played at this stadium was on 22–27 November 1974 between India and West Indies. It was the debut Test match for the West Indian greats - Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge. The West Indies team led by Clive Lloyd crushed the Mansoor Ali Khan’s Indian team by 256 runs.
India registered their first Test win on this ground against the touring English team led by Tony Greig in 1976–77. The Bishan Singh Bedi led Indian team defeated the English team by 140 runs.
The stadium has also hosted 31 ODI matches. The first ODI match at this venue was played on 6 September 1982 which India won by six wickets against Sri Lanka.
The stadium has even hosted 10 T20I matches. The first T20I match at this venue was played on 25 December 2012 in which Pakistan defeated India by five wickets.
The stadium has hosted ODI matches for all editions of the World Cups, when India was a host/co-host i.e. in 1987, 1996, 2011 and 2023 and also the T20I World Cup in 2016.
Cricket legend's Sunil Gavaskar's last Test match wherein he scored 96 against Pakistan on a turning track was played at this venue in March 1987. Despite Gavaskar's brilliance, India lost that match by 16 runs.
Floodlights were first installed at this stadium for the 1996 Wills World Cup and the first match played here under lights was the quarter-final clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on 9 March 1996 in which India beat Pakistan by 39 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar's last Test match as a captain was at this venue in March 2000 against South Africa. On 02 November 2013, Rohit Sharma scored his first double hundred in ODI at this stadium against Australia.
On 14 June 2018, after being granted 'Test Status' by the ICC in 2017, Afghanistan played their first ever test match at this venue against India.
On 12 March 2022, the stadium hosted its first pink ball Test match between India and Sri Lanka.
Since the BCCI chose Bangalore as the centre for the National Cricket Academy in 2000, many budding cricketers have passed out of the academy housed inside the ground premises.
Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the home ground of the IPL franchise team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). It has hosted 95 IPL matches from 2008 – 2024 and 11 WPL matches in 2024.
The stadium which is known for its small boundaries, has led to high scores and exciting matches much to the delight of cricket loving masses.
