Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is a modern cricket venue with a capacity of 25,000, owned by the Uttarakhand Cricket Association. Established in 2017, the stadium gained international recognition by hosting Afghanistan's home international matches during their early years as a Test-playing nation, including series against Ireland and the West Indies. Situated in the Himalayan foothills of Dehradun, the venue combines a beautiful natural setting with modern cricket infrastructure. The stadium plays a vital role in cricket development in Uttarakhand and serves as a regional hub for domestic tournaments, talent identification camps, and emerging cricket academies serving the northern hill states of India.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, commonly known as Uppal Stadium, is an international cricket stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is owned and operated by Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). It is the home ground of Hyderabad cricket team and Hyderabad women's cricket team.

Located in the eastern suburb of Uppal, it has a seating capacity of 39,200 and extends across 15 acres of land. It serves as the home ground for the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad. As of 13 October 2024, it has hosted 6 Tests, 10 ODIs, and 3 T20Is. The stadium hosted the final of 2017 IPL and the final of the 2019 IPL. The stadium hosted its first ICC event in October 2023 during the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

It is renamed after the former prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.

Getting into the ground in Dehradun is half the fun. It's loud, it's chaotic, and it's brilliant. The local Uttarakhand Cricket Association folks finally sorted out the floodlight setups and the drainage—which used to be a massive headache during the rainy months. Now? A quick shower rolls through and they're back playing almost instantly. It's a proper old-school cricket vibe with just enough modern polish to keep things comfortable.

Let's talk about the pitch. It's your classic red soil deck. First morning? The seamers usually get the ball to talk. It nips around just enough to keep the slips interested. But once the sun bakes it, the track flattens out beautifully. By day three, you'll see batters just planting their front foot and trusting the bounce. If you're a spinner, you better hope there's some rough outside the off-stump, otherwise it's a long, long day.

The sheer volume of 25,000 fans packed into the stands is mental. They established this place back in 2017, and it feels like the ghosts of past games are still hanging around. Touring teams hate coming here. The crowd gets under your skin. They chant, they sing, and they do not stop. It's exhausting in the best possible way.

They occasionally pull the boundary ropes in for the shorter formats to guarantee fireworks. And yeah, it works. The crowd wants sixes, and they get them. But during the longer formats, the ground staff push them right back out. You have to genuinely time the ball to perfection to clear the ropes. No cheap edges flying into the crowd here.

Honestly, the whole local economy runs on this stadium during the season. Every hotel gets booked out. The street vendors make a killing selling jerseys and flags. It’s not just a patch of grass; it’s an economic engine. When the lights go on and the crowds flood in, the entire neighborhood comes alive.