Saurashtra Premier League 2023: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot pitch history and T20 records

The third edition of the Saurashtra Premier League (SPL) will kickstart on June 15 in the capital city of Saurashtra. The premier domestic competition provides a great platform for youngsters to showcase their skills. A total of five teams will compete for the silverware, with the final scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 24.

Ten league games will be followed by the final, with the top two teams qualifying for the summit clash. Sorath Lions won the inaugural season whereas the Halar Heroes are the defending champions.

The opening game of SPL 2023 will see the Halar Heroes square off against the Gohilwad Gladiators. All games will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

Ahead of the opening game of SPL 2023, here's a look at the pitch report and the key stats of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

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Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot T20 records and stats

The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium was established in 2009. It has a total capacity of 28,000 and the floodlights enable the night fixtures to be held at this venue. We have seen three ODIs, five T20Is and two Tests being played at this venue. This is the home ground of the Saurashtra cricket team.

The design of the media box at this venue is similar to the one present at the Lord’s in London. A total of 10 domestic T20 games have been played at this venue and the average first-innings score here is 169. We have seen teams win while chasing on six occasions and the toss plays a crucial role here.

T20 matches played: 10

Matches won by teams batting first: 3

Matches won by teams batting second: 6

Matches Tied: 1

Matches Abandoned: 0

Highest team score: Royal Challengers Bangalore 213/2

Lowest team score: Gujarat Lions 135/8

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Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot pitch report

The pitch at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot is a well-balanced one. We have seen the new ball come nicely onto the bat and the batters generally have a good time while batting on this deck. There is not much movement off the surface and the batters can start hitting through the line right from ball one.

The strip may get slower as the game progresses. The spinners can get enough purchase from the surface if they bowl with the right speeds and hit the right areas. We may see the pacers use a lot of off-pace deliveries while bowling here. Anything above 160 will be a very good total to defend here.