One of the most recent additions to the list of world’s biggest cricket league, Indian Premier League (IPL) venues is the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. It is commonly referred to as the Ekana Cricket Stadium, located in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Ekana stadium has seen many top-class players setting records for scoring most fifties in IPL.
This modern stadium, with a seating capacity of 50,000 was inaugurated in 2017 and officially renamed in 2018 in honour of India’s former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during a naming ceremony held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Serving as the home ground for a fairly new IPL team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the Ekana Stadium has quickly grown in stature and significance in the IPL circuit. It is currently touted as India’s fifth-largest international cricket stadium and has hosted several key fixtures, including five matches during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
In the IPL context, the stadium has so far witnessed 19 matches since 2023, so far in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. Lucknow Super Giants have played in every IPL match held at the Ekana Stadium to date. Their home record is evenly split, with 9 wins, 9 losses, and 1 no-result until now. During the earlier seasons, KL Rahul, the former captain of LSG, emerged as the highest run-scorer at the venue. Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, Rishabh Pant was appointed as the anchor the squad and was the most expensive player to be bought by a franchise in IPL’s history, for a staggering INR 27 Crores.
Amongst all the IPL teams, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) hold the record for the highest team total at this ground, having scored 235 for 6, showcasing that despite its slower nature, the pitch can still yield big scores under right conditions. Several players have also recorded noteworthy individual performances, making the Ekana Stadium a favourable venue for memorable cricketing moments to be created.
With modern facilities, a growing history of high-stake matches and passionate local crowd, the Ekana Cricket Stadium is steadily cementing its place as a key venue in Indian cricket, especially during the IPL season. Both batsmen and bowlers have been sweating it out and adding more fans with some commendable performances. Here we have detailed the exceptional records of top 5 players with most fifties at Ekana Stadium in IPL.
Most Fifties at Ekana Stadium in IPL
5) Quinton de Kock – A South African wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock has had a notable career in the Indian Premier League so far. He has been a part of different teams – Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and of course the Lucknow Super Giants. Until now, Quinton has played in over 100 IPL matches and collectively scored more than 3100 runs.
- He is known for his strong batting and wicket-keeping skills, making him a valuable asset for his teams. Quinton de Kock has won two IPL titles with Mumbai Indians and amassed more than 500+ runs in three different IPL seasons.
- From all the 6 Ekana stadium innings he has been a part of, he has scored 157 runs at an average of over 26 and strike rate of 135. He has two fifties (half-centuries) to his credit at Ekana stadium, while playing for LSG.
4) Ayush Badoni – The player who comes close to the finish line is a young batsman Ayush Badoni, who has is being termed as an emerging player of the shortest cricket format. His IPL performances have been splendid, winning hearts of spectators all over.
- Ayush Badoni’s IPL performances in 2024 saw him play a crucial role for Lucknow Super Giants, particularly as a middle-order batsman.
- Out of the total 16 innings from 18 match appearances, Ayush has amassed 373 runs at a batting average of over 33 with an impressive strike rate of 143 plus, which is commendable. His highest score of 59 not out against CSK in the 2023 edition was one of the finest knocks on this ground, which includes two half-centuries scored by him.
3) Marcus Stoinis – The next place, slightly ahead of him belongs to the Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. Though presently a part of the Punjab Kings franchise, he has been a key player for the LSG camp during his association with the unit. As is a right-handed batsman, he has created a name for himself through his explosive batting style and had even scored a century for his team in the IPL 2024 edition.
- While playing for his former team, Stoinis has hit 03 half-centuries at Ekana stadium in 14 innings and has had the personal best score of 89 runs at LSG’s home venue. On this ground, his form has been tremendous since he is quite well-versed with the pitch conditions.
- Marcus Stoinis has scored 336 runs in 15 matches played at Ekana and maintained an average of 30.5 along with a strike rate of 136.
2) Aiden Markram – Another South African who is a part of this list is Aiden Markram. He made his IPL debut in 2021 with the Punjab Kings. Known as a technically gifted top-order batsman, Aiden Markram has earned a reputation of being composed and sensible in his batting approach.
- Markram has played 55 IPL matches until now and added more than 1300 runs to his scorecard. Overall, he has slammed nine half-centuries in IPL history.
- As far as Ekana stadium is concerned, Aiden Markram has knocked 3 fifties at LSG’s home venue in just 6 batting innings. The scoring average he has achieved is around 32.8 and a strike rate of 155.
1)KL Rahul – The topper on this run-scorer list is the current darling of Indian cricket, KL Rahul. As a player with the most runs scored, he has powered a staggering 540 runs, all thanks to his versatility and confidence as a world-class player. From IPL 2022 to 2024, Rahul was the captain of the Sanjiv Goenka-owned LSG camp.
- He has batted in all 13 innings for the 13 matches played here by him. His highest score thus far has been the 82 scored against CSK in the 2024 IPL edition. KL’s batting average is around 49 on this ground, and the strike rate of 131 speaks volumes of the skill he possesses.
- At the Ekana stadium, he has 5 fifties to his credit and has proven himself as a consistent run-scorer in the IPL for the past several seasons. As an interesting fact, he was the winner of the orange cap in the 2020 IPL season for scoring the most runs in a single season, a massive 670 runs.
Most Fifties at Ekana Stadium in IPL
Over the years, fans have enjoyed unforgettable moments here, from breathtaking chases to stunning hat tricks. The top 5 players with most fifties at Ekana stadium are KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni and Quinton de Kock.
As future IPL editions will unravel, this popular hotspot stadium will continue to be a stage for new records to be set and legendary performances to shine through.
FAQs About Ekana Stadium
1) Which batsman has the most fifties at the Ekana stadium in IPL?
KL Rahul has scored the most fifties at the Ekana stadium in IPL, 5.
2) The Ekana stadium is the home ground for which IPL team?
The Ekana stadium is the home ground for Lucknow Super Giants team in IPL.
3) The Ekana stadium is named after which famous personality?
The Ekana stadium is named after former the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
