Highest and Lowest Scoring T20 Grounds: Runs vs the League Par
Once league and season are stripped out, a handful of T20 grounds still push first innings well above or below par, and the high-scoring ones hold their edge better.
Written by Theo AshfordCricket Betting Tips specialist
- Sport
- Cricket
- Question
- Which T20 grounds produce the biggest and smallest first innings once league and season are allowed for, and does that character last?
- Survey
- Men's 20-over T20 cricket: IPL, BBL, T20 Blast, PSL, CPL, BPL, Super Smash, SA20, ILT20, MLC, LPL, Indian and South African domestic T20 and T20Is between Full Members, 2005 to the 2025 season
- +9.6 runsChattogram first innings vs league average
- −11.6 runsPremadasa, Colombo first innings vs league average
- 30.7%180-plus first innings at all venues (6,599 matches)
- +5.2 runsLater edge of grounds that were 5+ runs high to 2019
Every T20 totals market starts from a par score, and the ground is the first thing I adjust for. The question here is simple. Once you allow for which league and which season used a venue, which grounds still produce big or small first innings, and does that character survive from one era to the next?
The answer is yes, within limits. Across 6,599 matches the average first innings was 163.8, and the spread around it by ground is real. Chattogram sits at +9.6 runs against its own league-season average and Premadasa, Colombo at −11.6 runs. The high-scoring label also lasts longer than the low one. When I build a match-by-match read on my free cricket prediction today page, this is the baseline I start from.
Ground 1Chattogram tops the adjusted scoring table, Premadasa props it up
This chart compares each first-innings total with the mean for its own league and season, then averages by ground. That matters because a ground used heavily in a high-scoring league in a high-scoring year will look flattering on raw numbers. Here those effects cancel out, leaving something closer to the surface and the dimensions themselves.
Chattogram leads at +9.6 runs, with Wanderers, Johannesburg on +8.6 and Adelaide Oval on +7.2. At the other end, Premadasa, Colombo is out on its own at −11.6, with Sawai Mansingh, Jaipur on −7.4 and the MCG on −6.3. Dubai and Abu Dhabi both sit below par as well, which fits the slower, bigger-square reputation of those grounds.
Each total is compared with the mean of its own league and season, so eras and leagues cancel out. Matches in brackets.
View the data: first-innings runs vs the league average, by ground
| Runs vs league-season average | |
|---|---|
| Chattogram (111) | +9.6 runs |
| Wanderers, Johannesburg (91) | +8.6 runs |
| Adelaide Oval (84) | +7.2 runs |
| Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru (103) | +6.7 runs |
| Wankhede, Mumbai (163) | +6.3 runs |
| Eden Gardens, Kolkata (126) | +4.2 runs |
| Warner Park, St Kitts (91) | +3.9 runs |
| Arun Jaitley, Delhi (129) | +3.2 runs |
| St George's Park, Gqeberha (86) | −4.5 runs |
| Rose Bowl, Southampton (85) | −4.8 runs |
| Dubai (196) | −5.2 runs |
| Abu Dhabi (113) | −5.7 runs |
| Mirpur, Dhaka (312) | −6.3 runs |
| MCG, Melbourne (85) | −6.3 runs |
| Sawai Mansingh, Jaipur (85) | −7.4 runs |
| Premadasa, Colombo (89) | −11.6 runs |
One caution before reading too much into the middle of the chart. Pitches get re-laid and ropes move, so each figure averages many different setups, and with 80 to 310 matches per ground a gap of 3-4 runs is within normal variation. Eden Gardens at +4.2 and Warner Park at +3.9 are leaning positive, not proven outliers.
Ground 2Raw averages and the 180-plus price tell different stories
The table shows why I never use a raw ground average on its own. Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru has the biggest raw figure at 175.3, yet Chattogram, on 167.8, ranks higher once league and season are allowed for. Premadasa's raw 150.3 is almost level with Mirpur's 150.8, but the adjusted gap between them is wide.
The useful column for a bettor is the 180-plus rate. Across all venues it is 30.7%, a fair price of 3.25. At Chattogram it rises to 36.0% (fair odds 2.77); at Premadasa it drops to 14.6% (fair odds 6.85). Chinnaswamy stands out at 44.7%, fair odds 2.24.
| Ground | Matches | Avg 1st inns | vs league avg | 180+ rate | 95% range | Fair odds 180+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattogram | 111 | 167.8 | +9.6 | 36.0% | 27.1%–44.9% | 2.77 |
| Wanderers, Johannesburg | 91 | 169.5 | +8.6 | 36.3% | 26.4%–46.2% | 2.76 |
| Adelaide Oval | 84 | 169.8 | +7.2 | 33.3% | 23.2%–43.4% | 3.00 |
| Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru | 103 | 175.3 | +6.7 | 44.7% | 35.1%–54.3% | 2.24 |
| Wankhede, Mumbai | 163 | 170.1 | +6.3 | 39.3% | 31.8%–46.8% | 2.55 |
| Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 126 | 169.0 | +4.2 | 32.5% | 24.3%–40.7% | 3.07 |
| Dubai | 196 | 154.8 | −5.2 | 17.3% | 12.0%–22.6% | 5.76 |
| Abu Dhabi | 113 | 159.2 | −5.7 | 28.3% | 20.0%–36.6% | 3.53 |
| Mirpur, Dhaka | 312 | 150.8 | −6.3 | 19.6% | 15.2%–24.0% | 5.11 |
| MCG, Melbourne | 85 | 155.9 | −6.3 | 22.4% | 13.5%–31.3% | 4.47 |
| Sawai Mansingh, Jaipur | 85 | 156.8 | −7.4 | 24.7% | 15.5%–33.9% | 4.05 |
| Premadasa, Colombo | 89 | 150.3 | −11.6 | 14.6% | 7.3%–21.9% | 6.85 |
| All venues | 6,599 | 163.8 | 0.0 | 30.7% | 29.6%–31.8% | 3.25 |
The 95% ranges are wide for single grounds, so I treat these fair prices as a starting band rather than a precise line. Dubai's 17.3% with a range of 12.0%–22.6% is about as firm as it gets for a low-scoring venue, helped by 196 matches.
Ground 3High grounds shift the whole distribution, not just the average
A few runs of par difference sounds small, so this chart shows what it does to the shape of outcomes. At the eight highest-scoring grounds, 36.5% of first innings reach 180 and only 17.7% stay under 140. At the eight lowest, it flips: 20.4% reach 180 and 29.2% finish under 140.
The all-venue row sits neatly between them. That is the practical point for band and line markets: the venue moves the tails far more than the middle, where the 160-179 band barely changes across the three rows.
View the data: how first innings land: high vs low grounds
| Under 140 | 140-159 | 160-179 | 180+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eight high grounds (898) | 17.7% | 19.7% | 26.1% | 36.5% |
| All venues (6,599) | 21.5% | 22.7% | 25.0% | 30.7% |
| Eight low grounds (1,051) | 29.2% | 24.9% | 25.5% | 20.4% |
Ground 4High-scoring grounds hold their edge better than low ones
Here grounds were grouped by their record up to 2019 and then followed from 2020. The high-scoring group ran +8.9 runs early and +5.2 runs later across 437 matches, so more than half of the edge carried on. The low-scoring group went from −8.2 to −3.2 across 544 later games, a much bigger fade.
Near-par grounds stayed near par, moving from −0.5 to +0.4. Some pull towards the middle is expected in any group picked on past results, but the asymmetry is what I take from this.
Grounds with 25+ matches up to 2019 and at least one match from 2020. Shows how much of the early edge survives.
View the data: does a ground keep its character? 2005-19 vs 2020-25
| 2005-2019 | 2020-2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Low-scoring (5+ runs under) (13 grounds · 544 later games) | −8.2 runs | −3.2 runs |
| Near par (within 5 runs) (29 grounds · 962 later games) | −0.5 runs | 0.4 runs |
| High-scoring (5+ runs over) (13 grounds · 437 later games) | 8.9 runs | 5.2 runs |
My reading is that batting-friendly traits such as short boundaries and true surfaces are harder to undo than slow, low pitches, which groundstaff and newer playing conditions can freshen up. I trust a high-scoring reputation more than a low-scoring one.
Where to look
- Adjust par, not raw averages
Compare a ground with its league and season before setting a line. Chattogram averages 167.8 raw but sits +9.6 above its own par.
- Price the 180-plus tail
At the high grounds 36.5% of first innings reach 180 against 30.7% everywhere. Anything near the all-venue fair price of 3.25 at those venues deserves a look.
- Discount old low-scoring labels
Grounds that ran 5+ runs under par to 2019 averaged only −3.2 from 2020. Lean on recent evidence before backing unders on reputation alone.
Questions bettors ask
Which T20 ground has the highest first-innings scores against par?
Chattogram, at +9.6 runs per first innings against its own league-season average across 111 matches. Wanderers, Johannesburg is next on +8.6.
How often does a T20 first innings reach 180?
Across 6,599 matches it happened 30.7% of the time, a fair price of 3.25. The rate ranges from 14.6% at Premadasa, Colombo to 44.7% at Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru.
Is Premadasa, Colombo still a low-scoring T20 ground?
It has the lowest adjusted figure in the study at −11.6 runs. But low-scoring grounds as a group faded from −8.2 to −3.2 runs after 2019, so I check recent matches before assuming the old character holds.
I'm Theo Ashford, based in Chicago, and I write the free cricket predictions at horse-racing.tips — reading the pitch as closely as the form.
View profile →
