Intro
Cuttack is scheduled to host the India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I on 24 December 2026 at 7:00 pm IST. The city fixture is confirmed in the BCCI home-season schedule and cross-checked in the ESPNcricinfo series schedule. However, those cited fixture lists name Cuttack, not a particular ground. It is therefore important to separate the upcoming city fixture from the historical record at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.
The exact-ground archive contains four completed men’s T20Is at Barabati Stadium, spanning 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2025. This compact sample is varied: it includes India’s 180/3, the highest team total, as well as totals of 92 and 74 all out. South Africa’s 149/6 in 2022 is the highest successful chase.
Across the four verified scorecards, first-innings totals average 148.75 and second-innings totals average 101.50. Teams batting first won twice and teams batting second twice. The record points to a surface where powerplay intent, middle-over wickets and the balance between pace and spin matter. Player tables are a verified four-match sample, not an unsupported all-time claim.
India–Sri Lanka 2nd T20I Cuttack city match schedule
| Date | Match | Series | Time | Location status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 December 2026 | India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I | Sri Lanka tour of India 2026/27 | 7:00 pm IST | Cuttack city confirmed; stadium TBD |
This is a city-level schedule entry. Neither the BCCI listing nor the ESPNcricinfo series page independently confirms Barabati Stadium as the ground for this future match. The historical pitch discussion in this article is consequently about Barabati Stadium records, not a claim that the 2026 fixture has already been assigned to that stadium.
Barabati Stadium pitch report: four men’s T20Is
The following table covers the four completed men’s T20Is identified at Barabati Stadium in the supplied archive and checked against ESPNcricinfo scorecards and Howstat’s ground statistics.
| Metric | Verified Barabati Stadium men’s T20I record |
|---|---|
| Matches covered | 4 |
| First-innings scores | 92, 180, 148, 175 |
| Mean first-innings score | 148.75 |
| Second-innings scores | 96, 87, 149, 74 |
| Mean second-innings score | 101.50 |
| Highest team total | 180/3 |
| Lowest team total | 74 all out |
| Highest successful chase | 149/6 |
| Wins batting first | 2 |
| Wins batting second | 2 |
| Ties / no-results | 0 / 0 |
The means are simple arithmetic: first-innings total 595 divided by four equals 148.75, while second-innings total 406 divided by four equals 101.50. They are not a par score for every match; the spread from 74 to 180 shows how much match execution can change the result.
What the numbers say about batting
The 180/3 made by India against Sri Lanka in 2017 is the clearest evidence that Barabati can reward a strong top order. India also reached 175/6 against South Africa in 2025, so totals in the high 170s are part of the ground’s verified history. Those innings were built differently: the 2017 scorecard was a dominant batting-first performance, while the 2025 total was followed by a rapid South African collapse.
At the other end, India’s 92 all out in 2015 and South Africa’s 74 all out in 2025 show how quickly a T20 innings can lose momentum. The second-innings mean is lower partly because those two collapses are included, not because every chase has been difficult. South Africa’s 149/6 in 2022 is the highest successful chase in the set and shows that a side can recover from pressure and finish a substantial pursuit.
Powerplay, middle overs and finishing phases
The supplied archive groups deliveries into powerplay overs 1–6, middle overs 7–12 and finishing overs 13–20, with shortened innings using the overs available. The phase record is best used to describe match shape rather than to claim that the pitch alone caused every result.
The powerplays already show contrasting starts. In 2015, India were 35/2 and South Africa 38/2, an even early exchange that preceded a low-scoring finish. In 2017, India’s 50/1 created a platform for 180/3, while Sri Lanka were 40/2 before their chase broke down. In 2022, India began 42/1, but South Africa were 29/3 and had to rebuild around Heinrich Klaasen before completing the chase. In 2025, South Africa’s 45/2 powerplay was followed by a total of only 74, illustrating that a reasonable first six overs do not guarantee a stable middle phase.
For batting teams, the middle overs are a control point. Preserved wickets can turn a 140-range platform into 175 or more; a cluster of dismissals can leave a total well below par. The record rewards flexible plans: absorb pressure when spin is effective, then attack the remaining match-ups.
Pace and spin reading
Both disciplines have produced decisive spells. Seam bowling was prominent in the first and fourth matches: Albie Morkel returned 3/12 in 2015, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4/13 in 2022, and the 2025 scorecard included two wickets each for Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, with Axar Patel also taking 2/7. Bhuvneshwar’s 4/13 is the best innings bowling figure in the verified ground sample.
Spin has also been central rather than incidental. Ravichandran Ashwin took 3/24 in 2015, Yuzvendra Chahal claimed 4/23 in 2017 and Kuldeep Yadav added 2/18 in that same match. Chahal’s five wickets across the selected matches lead the verified bowler sample. Axar’s three wickets came at an economy of 7.16 across his three appearances, a useful indicator of control in a small sample, though not a guarantee of future performance.
Barabati’s record supports a mixed attack. Pace can strike early or close an innings, while spin has repeatedly taken middle-over wickets. The value of a shot depends on phase and bowler, not a blanket assumption that the surface is slow or flat.
The four real Barabati Stadium scorecards
5 October 2015: India 92 all out, South Africa 96/4
South Africa won the 2015 opener by six wickets after India were bowled out for 92; they reached 96/4 in 17.1 overs. Albie Morkel took 3/12 and Ashwin 3/24. Powerplays were India 35/2 and South Africa 38/2, but India could not convert that start into a competitive finish.
20 December 2017: India 180/3, Sri Lanka 87 all out
In 2017, India made the ground’s highest total, 180/3, led by KL Rahul’s 61, with MS Dhoni 39 and Manish Pandey 32. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 87 in 16 overs, a 93-run defeat. India’s 50/1 powerplay built the platform; Chahal’s 4/23 and Kuldeep’s 2/18 converted scoreboard pressure into a decisive result.
12 June 2022: India 148/6, South Africa 149/6
In 2022, India made 148/6, but South Africa chased 149/6 in 18.2 overs to win by four wickets. Klaasen scored 81 from 46 balls and Bavuma 35. South Africa were 29/3 in the powerplay, yet Klaasen’s counterattack produced the ground’s highest successful chase. Bhuvneshwar took 4/13.
9 December 2025: India 175/6, South Africa 74 all out
In 2025, India posted 175/6, with Hardik Pandya 59* from 28 balls, then dismissed South Africa for 74 in 12.3 overs. Arshdeep, Bumrah and Varun took two wickets each; Axar returned 2/7. South Africa’s 45/2 powerplay did not survive the later collapse.
Verified batting watchlist
These ten rows are drawn from the four-match exact-ground sample. “Average” means runs divided by dismissals; a not-out player with no dismissal is shown as N/A, not as zero. Hardik Pandya appeared in three matches, while the number of matches below refers to the sample record supplied for each batter.
| Batter | Team | Matches | Runs | 50s | 100s | Highest score | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heinrich Klaasen | South Africa | 1 | 81 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 81.00 |
| Hardik Pandya | India | 3 | 68 | 1 | 0 | 59* | 68.00 |
| Shreyas Iyer | India | 2 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 32.00 |
| KL Rahul | India | 1 | 61 | 1 | 0 | 61 | 61.00 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 2 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 39* | 44.00 |
| Axar Patel | India | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 14.00 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 2 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 19.50 |
| Temba Bavuma | South Africa | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 35.00 |
| Ishan Kishan | India | 1 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 34.00 |
| Manish Pandey | India | 1 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 32* | N/A |
Klaasen leads the verified sample with 81, the highest individual score in the four scorecards. Pandya’s 59* in 2025 is the next major single-innings contribution in the listed group, while the 2017 scorecard supplies the unbeaten Dhoni and Pandey finishes. Pandey’s average is deliberately N/A because he was not dismissed in his only listed innings; assigning zero would misstate the statistic.
Verified bowling watchlist
The bowling table uses credited wickets, excludes run-outs from bowler totals, and reports the supplied economy, average, strike rate and best bowling in an innings. It is a four-match sample, not a claim that these are every bowler to have played at the ground.
| Bowler | Team | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Average | Strike rate | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzvendra Chahal | India | 2 | 5 | 9.00 | 14.40 | 9.60 | 4/23 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 2 | 4 | 4.33 | 6.50 | 9.00 | 4/13 |
| Hardik Pandya | India | 3 | 4 | 8.44 | 19.00 | 13.50 | 3/29 |
| Albie Morkel | South Africa | 1 | 3 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 8.00 | 3/12 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 1 | 3 | 6.00 | 8.00 | 8.00 | 3/24 |
| Axar Patel | India | 3 | 3 | 7.16 | 14.33 | 12.00 | 2/7 |
| Lungi Ngidi | South Africa | 1 | 3 | 7.75 | 10.33 | 8.00 | 3/31 |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 2 | 2 | 4.12 | 16.50 | 24.00 | 1/15 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | India | 1 | 2 | 4.50 | 9.00 | 12.00 | 2/18 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 2 | 2 | 5.40 | 13.50 | 15.00 | 2/17 |
Chahal’s five wickets lead the table, but Bhuvneshwar’s 4/13 is the most economical standout spell among the listed figures. Axar’s economy is 7.16, retained exactly from the verified ground table. These figures should be read with the appearances column: most players have only one or two matches in the sample, so they describe what happened in this archive rather than establish a permanent ranking of ability.
FAQs
Is Barabati Stadium batting-friendly for men’s T20Is?
It is variable rather than uniformly batting-friendly. The ground has produced 180/3 and 175/6, but also 92 all out and 74 all out. The 148.75 first-innings mean is healthy, yet the broad range shows that wickets and execution can dominate the final score.
Is spin important at Barabati Stadium?
Yes. Chahal took 4/23 and Kuldeep 2/18 in 2017, while Ashwin took 3/24 in 2015. Pace has also been decisive, so the record supports a balanced attack rather than a spin-only reading.
What is the highest T20I score at the ground?
The highest team total in the verified four-match record is India’s 180/3 against Sri Lanka on 20 December 2017. The highest individual score is Klaasen’s 81 from 46 balls in 2022.
How many runs are usually scored?
The exact mean first-innings score is 148.75 and the exact mean second-innings score is 101.50 across the four verified matches. Those figures are historical averages, not a prediction for the 2026 city fixture.
How many wickets lead the ground sample?
Yuzvendra Chahal leads the verified bowling sample with five wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the best innings figures at 4/13.
Sources and methodology
The historical record is cross-checked through the ESPNcricinfo Barabati Stadium men’s T20I records and Howstat’s Barabati Stadium T20 ground page. The four exact scorecards are 2015 India–South Africa, 2017 India–Sri Lanka, 2022 India–South Africa and 2025 India–South Africa.
The player values and phase descriptions come from the Cricsheet JSON scorecards for those four matches. Phase labels use overs 1–6, 7–12 and 13–20, or the available overs when an innings ended early.
More in this series: six-match tour schedule, Delhi Odi report, Bengaluru Odi report.
