Eden Gardens Stadium

The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000.

Eden Gardens is often referred to as home of Indian cricket and has also been described as “cricket’s answer to the Colosseum” and called the “Mecca of Indian cricket”, due to it being the first purpose-built ground for the sport. Eden Gardens has hosted matches in major international competitions including the World Cup, World Twenty20 and Asia Cup. In 1987, Eden Gardens became the second stadium to host a World Cup final. The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 final was held at the stadium, with the West Indies beating England in a closely fought encounter. Eden Gardens record crowd 110,564 in 1996 India Vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup Semi Final.

Stadium history

The stadium was established in 1864. The origins of its name are uncertain. According to some, the stadium is named after the Eden Gardens park where it is located, itself named after the Eden sisters, Emily and Fanny, of Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India (1836–1842) Initially named the ‘Auckland Circus Gardens’, the park was renamed to the ‘Eden Gardens’ in 1841.

However, according to popular culture, Babu Rajchandra Das, the zamindar (landlord) of Kolkata, gifted one of his biggest gardens, Mar Bagan, besides the river Hooghly, to Lord Auckland and his sister Emily Eden in gratitude for their help in saving his third daughter from a fatal disease. The garden was then renamed to the Eden Gardens.

The cricket grounds were built between Babughat and Fort William. The stadium is in the B. B. D. Bagh area of the city, near the State Secretariat and across the Calcutta High Court.

The first Test match at the venue was held in 1934 between England and India, its first One Day International in 1987 between India and Pakistan and its first T20 international in 2011 between India and England. The 1993 Hero Cup semi-final featuring India and South Africa was the first day/night match.

The stadium also hosted matches of the inaugural edition of Nehru Cup in 1982.

India versus Uruguay match at Eden Gardens in Nehru Cup on 14 January 1984
The Eden Gardens also hosted the India versus Uruguay football match in 1984 Nehru Cup.