Those of you who follow Indian cricket closely will already know what the name represents. Mention the Holkar Stadium in a group of cricket fanatics and certain images come to mind straight away, as if a bright light has revealed lost memories: Virender Sehwag batting like he was playing an entirely different sport, Rohit Sharma hammering one of the most sumptuous T20 centuries ever made, Ravichandran Ashwin cleaning up entire batting orders on a surface that appeared easy but just turned nasty. These two decades of international cricket witnessed some unbelievable moments that were made possible on this dirt in the heart of Indore.
That is not the biggest stadium in India. In comparison to its more high-profile brethren, like the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad or Eden Gardens in Kolkata, it is modest at 30,000 seats. However, Holkar Stadium’s petite size is more than complemented by its atmosphere, pitch character, record scores and the sheer buzz of a city that loves its cricket. Tercet to Indore shows up, makes noise and churns out games that no one forgets.
This guide has everything: the history, ownership, a look at how the pitch behaves, all records across each of the three international formats, and the weather to expect when an international fixture comes to town next.
Quick Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Holkar Cricket Stadium |
| Former Name | Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground |
| Location | Race Course Road, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Owner and Operator | Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) |
| Capacity | 30,000 |
| Home Team | Madhya Pradesh cricket team |
| International Debut | April 15, 2006 – India vs England (ODI) |
| First Test | October 8-11, 2016 – India vs New Zealand |
| First T20I | December 22, 2017 – India vs Sri Lanka |
| Bowling Ends | GAIL-Madhav Rao Scindia End; Pavilion End |
| Upcoming Fixture | 3rd T20I – India vs West Indies, October 11, 2026 |
History and Background
Holkar Cricket Stadium serves as the home ground of the men’s and women’s cricket teams for Madhya Pradesh. Renamed from its initial title of Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground, following reconstruction, the venue became a modern international cricket stadium. It is also the home ground of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA).
That ground has a long-standing cricketing history way before its international recognition. It has staged Ranji Trophy matches with names like C.K. Nayudu (India’s first Test captain) and Mushtaq Ali (the first Indian to score a Test century on foreign soil). The two share the honor of having a stadium steeped in Indian domestic cricket.
The stadium was renamed after the Holkar dynasty, the Maratha rulers who have influenced Indore’s history. Even the original Maharani Usharaje Trust, which owned the ground had this royal legacy.
The first international match was held on 15 April 2006, in which India chased down as England lost to India by chasing 289 runs in an ODI, completing a series whitewash of the England team at 5-0. The high-scoring win also laid down the marker that this was a batting paradise of a ground.
India did not lose at the stadium in any format until 4 October 2022 after its international debut. It was a 49-run T20I loss to South Africa that marked the end of that storied streak, a sobering reminder that the venue was a hallowed home ground for India for many years afterwards on flat pitches before offering assistance to spinners later in the match.
Photos of Holkar Stadium
The Pitch: A Batters’ Dreamland; a Spinner’s Nightmare
Flat pitches, shade-grassed lightning-quick outfield, and ODI high scores hitting the roof – Holkar Cricket Stadium Indore is known for quite a lot of things. Essentially, this is a location where bowlers have had the experience of being glorified extras.
Holkar Cricket Stadium has a very strong batting-friendly pitch. The surface provides consistent bounce, which is conducive to stroke play. Small boundaries help batters to clear the ropes. These average conditions trigger very high-scoring matches, especially in the shorter formats like ODIs and T20Is.
As a rule, the pitch report for Holkar cricket stadium encourages a level and batting-accommodating surface. Win the toss, and with it bat first and don’t stop.
Yet, in the long format there is an element of the pitch that only reveals itself over time. In Test Matches, the initial two days are typically great for batting in Indore. The spinners will also come into play as the game progresses, hence runs become difficult to score. The highest first-innings score in Tests here is 603 while the average for the format at this venue currently stands at 354.
That bi-polar nature – the pitch is easy-paced and true for batting at first, but takes spin as it wears – was responsible for perhaps one of the most stunning Test results on this ground in 2023, when India humbled Australia in a Test that wasn’t completed within two full days.
Pitch Summary by Format
| Format | Pitch Nature | Toss Strategy | Key Factor |
| ODI | Flat, true bounce | Bat first | High totals routine; 300+ common |
| T20I | Batting paradise | Bat first | Average 1st innings 200+ |
| Test | Flat D1-D2; turns from D3 | Bat first | Spinners dominate in later stages |
Also Read: Varanasi Cricket Stadium | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Arun Jaitley Stadium
Records at Holkar Stadium: ODI Cricket
The stadium has hosted a total of 7 ODIs (2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2017, January 2023, and September 2023).
Key ODI Records
| Record | Detail |
| Highest Team Total | 418/5 – India vs West Indies, 2011 |
| Lowest Team Total | 217 – Australia vs India |
| Highest Individual Score | 219 – Virender Sehwag (IND) vs West Indies, 2011 |
| Best Bowling Figures | 5/51 – Jasprit Bumrah (IND) |
| Average First Innings Score | 310 |
| Most Sixes in an Innings | India vs West Indies, 2011 (multiple) |
This is how this pitch really is; we saw innings like 219 vs West Indies played by Virender Sehwag and so on.
Sehwag’s 219 in 2011 is still one of the finest individual ODI innings played anywhere on this earth – 219 runs, 149 balls, 25 fours and 7 sixes, strike-rate of a mighty nice bloke at his peak -146.97. It was not just a high score. It was a demonstration of a batting philosophy carried to its fullest conclusion: see ball, hit ball and repeat until the score becomes unsurpassable. The mere fact that this innings was played at Holkar Stadium is exactly what this pitch wanted batters to do.
The last ODI to be played here was on January 18, 2026. Batting first, New Zealand posted 337/8 in the allotted quota of 50 overs while India were bowled out for 296 in 46 overs. New Zealand won by 41 runs. And even in an Indian loss, the total match runs of 633 scored over 96 overs is precisely the sort of number that encapsulates what cricket at Indore usually yields.
Records at Holkar Stadium: T20I Cricket
The stadium has hosted 4 T20Is (2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024).
Key T20I Records
| Record | Detail |
| Highest Team Total | 260/5 – India vs Sri Lanka, 2017 |
| Lowest Team Total | 142/9 – Sri Lanka vs India, 2020 |
| Highest Individual Score | 118 – Rohit Sharma (IND) vs Sri Lanka, 2017 |
| Best Bowling Figures | 4/52 – Yuzvendra Chahal (IND) vs Sri Lanka, 2017 |
| Highest Successful Chase | 144/3 – India vs Sri Lanka, 2020 |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 200+ |
Rohit Sharma scored 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017 and it was the cleanest T20I century seen at any ground across the world. In that game, India posted 260/5 – the highest ever T20I score recorded at this ground.
The 3rd T20I between India and West Indies on October 11,2026 at Holkar Stadium will mark the first T20I for both teams at this venue in total (it was also the fifth T20I staged here overall). It is one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures in the home season given what history tells us about how many runs can be scored on this surface in this format.
Records at Holkar Stadium: Test Cricket
The stadium has hosted 3 Tests: in 2016, 2019, and 2023.
Key Test Records
| Record | Detail |
| Tests Played | 3 |
| Highest Team Total | 557/5 dec – India vs New Zealand, 2016 |
| Lowest Team Total | 150 – Bangladesh vs India, 2019 |
| Highest Individual Score | 243 – Mayank Agarwal (IND) vs Bangladesh, 2019 |
| Best Bowling (Innings) | 7/59 – R. Ashwin (IND) vs New Zealand, 2016 |
| Best Bowling (Match) | 13/140 – R. Ashwin (IND) vs New Zealand, 2016 |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 354 |
| Fastest Test Win | IND vs AUS 2023 (2 days) |
Though Ravichandran Ashwin’s 13/140 vs. New Zealand in 2016 stays the best match figures at this ground. Ashwin also holds the record in innings with 7/59 from that same series. The match ended up being a long one, with India racking up 557/5 declared therein wihch New Zealand were never going to chase down.
Test match against Bangladesh in 2019 allowed Mayank Agarwal to prepare the baton; his 243 is among India’s most technically controlled double hundred in domestic Test cricket. India 493/6 declared & 150 & 213 Bangladesh innings: 150 all out in 2 overs and not out, losing an innings (and) by a margin of the distance that cannot be identified then making it up with another one.
One of the most remarkable Test matches of the ground’s Test history was played in 2023 when India hosted Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which Australia lost in just under two days, if not an entire two, as a sharply turning pitch had Ashwin/ Axar Patel rolling through a batting lineup far outclassed by Blair Zapata
Holkar Stadium Women’s International Cricket
On October 1, 2025 New Zealand and Australia faced off against each other for the first women’s ODI in the stadium. The last of the women’s ODIs came on October 25, 2025 featuring Australia against South Africa. The expansion of women’s international fixtures to be hosted in the ground’s calendar from 2025 onwards is an important step up in the venue’s role as a site for global events, considering India’s women’s cricket profile.
IPL at Holkar Stadium
With Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) having its base in the 2008 season, there have been 9 IPL matches played at the venue. Playing at Holkar Stadium, the IPL encounters were naturally high-scoring affairs on a pitch that gives little to no assistance to bowlers and major batting-friendly conditions that you will find in Indian franchise cricket. The 30,000-capacity crowd portioned the IPL games here volume-wise and engagement-wise, Indore’s cricket culture coming to the fore with every boundary crossed and wicket taken.
Climate and Best Time to Trip
Indore is one of the better climate venues for cricket. The city is located in the Malwa Plateau region with a relatively high altitude and experiences three seasons:
October to February (Best cricket conditions): Cool, dry and clear. It is around that time when international fixtures are usually played at the ground. Night-time matches in November and December are still comfortable evenings with temperatures dropping from about 30°C at the start of play to between 12 -18°C by the end of play post sunset.
March to June (pre-monsoon summer): Summer temperatures; hot with readings in the range of 38-43°C. Not a great time for long sessions but tolerable for evening T20s.
Monsoon (July to September): Rain delays are a risk, but outfield drainage has been vastly improved at Holkar Stadium. This period is still prone to weather delays.
Such weather in Indore winter is just perfect for cricket with no rain interruption. If you plan to catch a match, I highly recommend the October-February window.
How to Get to Holkar Stadium
| Mode | Details |
| By Air | Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport – approximately 10 km from the ground |
| By Rail | Indore Junction Railway Station – approximately 5 km |
| By Road | Race Course Road, accessible from MG Road and AB Road; auto-rickshaws and cabs widely available |
| Parking | Limited on-site; arriving early is advisable for major international matches |
Location: Holkar Stadium
Also Read: Wankhede Stadium | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Narendra Modi Stadium
Conclusion
Holkar Cricket Stadium is one of the most engaging cricket venues in India because of its history, batting-friendly pitches, and unforgettable worldwide matches. The stadium has had a long and glorious history, from hosting legends like the likes of C.K. Nayudu and Mushtaq Ali in its early years to witnessing some record-setting performances by players like Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin through the decades.
Holkar Stadium has retained its place as one of the best cricket venues for international and domestic games in India thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities, fanatical fans that worship the game, and record-high scores. Whether you are a cricket lover, traveler, or just interested in a venue, Holkar Cricket Stadium will always stand as a testament to Indore’s enduring passion for the game.
FAQs About Holkar Stadium
1. How many seating capacity of Holkar Stadium?
It has a capacity of about 30,000 spectators and is one of the major cricket stadiums in central India.
2. Is Holkar Cricket Stadium batting-friendly?
Yes. The true bounce, fast outfield, and likewise shorter-than-average limits at Holkar Cricket Stadium make it a very batting-friendly pitch. But from day three on in Test matches, the pitch starts to aid spin.
3. Which IPL team uses Holkar Stadium as its home ground
Holkar Cricket Stadium has been used as one of the home grounds by Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab), and it has witnessed some high-scoring IPL clashes.
4. Which international game was first played at Holkar Stadium?
On 15 April 2006, India played its first international match at Holkar Cricket Stadium, defeating England in an ODI.
5. When to watch a cricket match at Holkar Stadium?
The best time to visit is between October and February, when Indore witnesses cool, dry weather that gives perfect weather conditions for cricket.
