# R. Premadasa Stadium
**R. Premadasa Stadium** (also called R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, RPICS) is a cricket ground in the Khettarama area of Colombo, Sri Lanka, built as a floodlit alternative to the city's elite Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground and now the country's largest cricket stadium and its busiest international venue[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom) • [2](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/features/r-premadasa-stadium-odi-records-stats-colombo/). It was built by [Ranasinghe Premadasa](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranasinghe-premadasa), the first "commoner" Prime Minister and later [President of Sri Lanka](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-of-sri-lanka), and named for him[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom). The stadium was rebuilt between 2009 and 2011 ahead of co-hosting the 2011 [Cricket World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/cricket-world-cup), and floodlit cricket has been its default setting since[3](https://www.fantasy-cricket.com/r-premadasa-stadium-pitch-report/). It is one of the three Sri Lankan venues for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, alongside the SSC Ground in Colombo and the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy[4](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/cricket/news/r-premadasa-international-cricket-stadium-pitch-report-odi/a148eea40a305923db96ef0c).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Khettarama, Colombo, Sri Lanka; pitch center at approximately 6.9182°, 79.8571°[5](https://dl.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/4403/1/2016MCS077.pdf) • [6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/) |
| Origin | Built by Ranasinghe Premadasa, first "commoner" Prime Minister and later President of Sri Lanka, as a floodlit alternative to the elite SSC[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom) |
| Rebuild | Rebuilt between 2009 and 2011 ahead of co-hosting the 2011 World Cup[3](https://www.fantasy-cricket.com/r-premadasa-stadium-pitch-report/) |
| Boundary dimensions | 62 m straight, 54 m square, enclosing roughly 10,518 m² of playing area[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/) |
| Ranking by size | 122nd of 124 grounds by playing area; one of 27 grounds below the ICC's 59.44 m minimum boundary[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/) |
| Status in Sri Lanka | The biggest cricket ground in Sri Lanka and by some distance its busiest international venue[2](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/features/r-premadasa-stadium-odi-records-stats-colombo/) |
| Notable record | The 576-run Test partnership by Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama against India in 1997 was made here[7](https://crickettaken.in/cricket-in-sri-lanka/sinhala-sports-club-ground) |
| 2026 role | One of three Sri Lankan host venues for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026[4](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/cricket/news/r-premadasa-international-cricket-stadium-pitch-report-odi/a148eea40a305923db96ef0c) |
## Origins and setting
The stadium stands in Khettarama, Colombo, on less than 22 acres of land[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom) • [5](https://dl.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/4403/1/2016MCS077.pdf). Ranasinghe Premadasa, who rose from Prime Minister to President of Sri Lanka and was described as the country's first "commoner" Prime Minister, built the ground as a floodlit alternative to the elite SSC[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom). Its setting differs sharply from the other Colombo Test venues: the lanes leading to the stadium gates are narrow and the surrounding markets are crowded, unlike the stately, tree-lined approaches to the SSC, P. Sara Oval, and the Colombo Cricket Club Ground[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom).
The ground has always carried multiple identities, folding the city's contradictions into its small footprint[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom).
## Dimensions and boundary rules
Satellite-based measurement places the straight boundary at 62 m and the square boundary at 54 m, averaged across both ends, enclosing roughly 10,518 m² of playing area[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/). Both figures sit under the ICC's 59.44 m minimum boundary, and the ground ranks 122nd of 124 by playing area, one of 27 grounds below the ICC minimum[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/).
A boundary figure below the minimum is not necessarily an error. Boundary ropes are set per fixture, and ICC clause 19.1.4 exempts any ground already approved for international cricket that cannot conform[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/). Among Sri Lankan grounds, only Pallekele (64 × 58 m) measures close to the Premadasa; the SSC Ground (68 × 69 m) and Sooriyawewa International Cricket Stadium (68.5 × 70 m) are substantially larger[6](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/).
## Pitch and playing conditions
The venue is described as high-capacity and spin-friendly, in contrast to the old-world SSC across the city[8](https://www.financialexpress.com/sports/icc-t20-world-cup-2026-why-sri-lankas-venues-could-decide-matches-before-the-toss/4126112/). Its pitches have generally been slow even in comparison with the other grounds in Colombo[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom).
**Scheduling shapes results.** The stadium plays almost all of its international cricket after dark, and this habit affects outcomes more than any pitch label: once dew settles over Colombo's humid evening air, spin loses its grip on the ball, and the side bowling in those conditions has a harder night than the side that bowled first[3](https://www.fantasy-cricket.com/r-premadasa-stadium-pitch-report/). The ground has a long association with chasing sides; for years it was considered a chasing ground, and each of the last eight matches before the T20 World Cup was won by the team batting second[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom).
In the early matches of the 2026 T20 World Cup, the surface regularly slowed in the second innings and teams batting first won four straight games, before Zimbabwe chased 179, one of the highest successful pursuits at the venue[1](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom). In [Lanka Premier League](https://www.edgepedia.org/lanka-premier-league) play the ground is a tougher venue for batters than Pallekele, where matches have averaged over 200 runs per innings; sides that build powerplay partnerships before accelerating late tend to do better than those that try to hit through the middle overs[9](https://www.allcric.com/blog/gg-vs-jk-pitch-report-today-qualifier-1-at-r-premadasa-stadium/).
## Records and notable matches
The stadium holds a place in Test history through batting. The 576 runs added by [Sanath Jayasuriya](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanath-jayasuriya) and Roshan Mahanama against India in 1997 were made here, and when that record was overtaken at the SSC in 2006, the two largest stands in Test history had both been built in Colombo by Sri Lankan pairs a few kilometers apart[7](https://crickettaken.in/cricket-in-sri-lanka/sinhala-sports-club-ground).
Rain has also shaped its record.
## Role in Sri Lankan and international cricket
The R. Premadasa Stadium is the largest cricket ground in Sri Lanka and, by some distance, its busiest international venue, holding most of the country's limited-overs cricket[2](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/features/r-premadasa-stadium-odi-records-stats-colombo/) • [10](https://crickettaken.in/cricket-in-sri-lanka). It hosts Lanka Premier League fixtures, including qualifier matches[9](https://www.allcric.com/blog/gg-vs-jk-pitch-report-today-qualifier-1-at-r-premadasa-stadium/).
Sri Lanka Cricket's annual reports record continuing infrastructure work at the venue, including a completed concrete ground path near the outer drain in 2024, refurbishment of the third floor of the Grand Stand dormitory, and urgent rectification and renovation work in Blocks A, B, C, and D[11](https://srilankacricket.lk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SLC-Annual-Report-2024-soft-copy-1.pdf) • [12](https://srilankacricket.lk/storage/2023/11/Sri-Lanka-Cricket-Annual-Report-2022-Full-Low.pdf).
For the [ICC Men's T20 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/icc-mens-t20-world-cup) 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March 2026, the stadium is one of three Sri Lankan host grounds alongside the SSC and Pallekele[4](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/cricket/news/r-premadasa-international-cricket-stadium-pitch-report-odi/a148eea40a305923db96ef0c) • [13](https://thecricscope.com/cricket-stadiums/pallekele-international-cricket-stadium/).
## References
1. [The many lives of RPICS, Cricbuzz](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/137893/the-many-lives-of-rpics-sri-lanka-r-premadasa-stadium-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricbuzzcom)
2. [R Premadasa Stadium: pitch report, records and stats, SportsAdda](https://www.sportsadda.asia/cricket/features/r-premadasa-stadium-odi-records-stats-colombo/)
3. [R Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report, Colombo, Fantasy Cricket](https://www.fantasy-cricket.com/r-premadasa-stadium-pitch-report/)
4. [R. Premadasa Stadium pitch report, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/in/cricket/news/r-premadasa-international-cricket-stadium-pitch-report-odi/a148eea40a305923db96ef0c)
5. [Ground performance analysis, University of Colombo School of Computing thesis](https://dl.ucsc.cmb.ac.lk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/4403/1/2016MCS077.pdf)
6. [R. Premadasa Stadium boundary dimensions, CricketBoundary](https://cricketboundary.com/grounds/r-premadasa-stadium/)
7. [Sinhalese Sports Club Ground: Sri Lanka's Home of Test Cricket, CricketTaken](https://crickettaken.in/cricket-in-sri-lanka/sinhala-sports-club-ground)
8. [ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Why Sri Lanka's venues could decide matches before the toss, The Financial Express](https://www.financialexpress.com/sports/icc-t20-world-cup-2026-why-sri-lankas-venues-could-decide-matches-before-the-toss/4126112/)
9. [GG vs JK Pitch Report Today, Qualifier 1 at R Premadasa Stadium, AllCric](https://www.allcric.com/blog/gg-vs-jk-pitch-report-today-qualifier-1-at-r-premadasa-stadium/)
10. [Cricket in Sri Lanka, CricketTaken](https://crickettaken.in/cricket-in-sri-lanka)
11. [Sri Lanka Cricket Annual Report 2024](https://srilankacricket.lk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SLC-Annual-Report-2024-soft-copy-1.pdf)
12. [Sri Lanka Cricket Annual Report 2022](https://srilankacricket.lk/storage/2023/11/Sri-Lanka-Cricket-Annual-Report-2022-Full-Low.pdf)
13. [Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Cricscope](https://thecricscope.com/cricket-stadiums/pallekele-international-cricket-stadium/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Cricket › Cricket practice and culture › Major international cricket grounds*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license