R. Premadasa Stadium

Capacity

35,000

Established

1986

City

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Surface

Grass

About this Ground

Sri Lanka's largest cricket stadium and a regular host of ICC events. The 2002 Champions Trophy Final here was rained off twice.

History & Significance

The R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, named after Sri Lanka's former President who was assassinated in 1993, is the largest cricket venue in Sri Lanka with a capacity of approximately 35,000. Known for many years as Khettarama Stadium, it was completed in 1986 and has been one of the most regularly used venues for international cricket in South Asia. The ground's pitch is renowned as a spinner's paradise: slow, low, and turning sharply from early in a match, it has produced results that visiting teams — unfamiliar with the conditions — have found extremely difficult to achieve. Sri Lanka's batting lineups, built around players who grew up on these surfaces, have often run up imposing totals on a pitch that restricts scoring in other parts of the world. The R. Premadasa Stadium's most distinctive moment in ICC history came during the 2002 Champions Trophy Final, when India and Sri Lanka met in what should have been the tournament's climax. Rain intervened not once but twice — the final was abandoned on consecutive days — and both teams were declared joint champions without a ball being bowled. It remains the only Champions Trophy final never to produce a result. The ground has since hosted numerous ICC events, including Women's T20 World Cup matches, and its intimidating spin conditions have made it one of cricket's most distinctive and challenging venues.