Lucknow set to host a Test match after 28 years when New Zealand visits India

Lucknow is all set to host a Test match after a period of 28 years. India will play one of the two Test matches against the touring New Zealand side at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow.

The only Test hosted by Lucknow happened at the KDS Babu Stadium in 1994 against Sri Lanka. The new stadium in Lucknow, named after India’s former Prime Minister, was opened for first-class cricket in 2016.

A senior BCCI official told the Times of India that the board is planning to provide international exposure to Lucknow before new franchises are finalized for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“The stadium has good facilities and a capacity of nearly 70, 000. That’s a good deal for any IPL franchise. Like Ahmedabad, it’s important to give Lucknow exposure to marquee international matches before the IPL teams are finalized. Lucknow was also shortlisted as a venue for the T20 World Cup had it happened in India,” the BCCI official told TOI.

Lucknow is a likely candidate for one of the two new franchises set to be introduced for the 2022 season of the IPL.

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New Zealand haven't played a Test in India after 2016

Last time India and New Zealand met was in the World Test Championship final

New Zealand are scheduled to travel to India in November, after the T20 World Cup. The World Test Championship winners will play three T20Is in addition to Test matches.

The series will start with a white-ball leg, followed by two Test matches. The last time India and New Zealand locked horns in the longest format of the game was in the final of the World Test Championship where the latter emerged victorious.

New Zealand haven’t played Tests in India since 2016. The last time they traveled to India was in 2017 for a white-ball tour.