The Indian Premier League is more than just a platform to showcase India’s best talent; it has certainly became accessible to more fans through the addition of new stadiums. One such example of this is particularly visible in the case of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), who now have two home stadiums – the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur and the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati – where they recently had a great turnout during their game against the Punjab Kings. Let’s look at 5 other instances when IPL teams have had more than one home stadium:
5) Rajasthan Royals: Mumbai and Ahmedabad
Rajasthan Royals (RR) had an impressive showing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with 29 victories out of 38 games in the first six IPL seasons. However, during the 2015 campaign, they hosted their home matches at Motera in Ahmedabad and the Brabourne in Mumbai. Even though they were defeated in the Super Over against Kings XI Punjab in Ahmedabad, RR did well enough to get to the playoffs. Ultimately, they were eliminated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator.
4) Kings XI Punjab: Dharamsala
With its picturesque backdrop of mountains, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala has become famous for being one of the most stunning stadiums in the world. This arena first hosted an IPL game in 2010 during the tournament’s third edition and has since become a beloved memory for cricket fans all over the world. Here, the emotionally charged MS Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings to the playoffs with a win against Kings XI Punjab in 2010. The Punjab Kings will also play some of their home games at the HPCA Stadium this season, allowing spectators to relive these fond memories.
3) Delhi Daredevils: Raipur
The Arun Jaitley Stadium, formerly the Feroz Shah Kotla, is the home ground of the Delhi Capitals. Once known as the Delhi Daredevils, the team has earned a reputation for not living up to its potential despite having outstanding players. During the IPL 2013 season, they played a few matches at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh in Raipur, Chattisgarh.
2) Mumbai Indians: Vizag
The 2015 IPL champions, the Mumbai Indians (MI), had been set to host the 2016 final in their home ground at the Wankhede Stadium. But due to a severe drought in Maharashtra, the IPL Governing Council received a directive from the Bombay High Court to move MI’s home matches away from May 1. As a result, MI was forced to share their home venue in Vizag with the Rising Pune Supergiant, who had been relocated from the MCA Stadium in Pune.
1) Chennai Super Kings: Pune
CSK fans no doubt felt deep emotion when their team returned to the Indian Premier League after a two years gap. Although the spectators at Chepauk were excited to see them perform, they had to wait a bit longer as authorities could not guarantee adequate security for the players in Chennai due to the Cauvery water dispute and thus, CSK had to hold their home games in Pune’s MCA Stadium. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop the Super Kings from emerging victorious in the tournament.