Quick answer: Eden Gardens is Kolkata’s historic international cricket stadium, set up in 1864 in the BBD Bagh area of the Maidan, across from the Calcutta High Court. It is the oldest cricket stadium in India and the second largest by capacity, holding about 68,000 people, and it is home to the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bengal team. There is no fixed entry fee or public opening hours: you get into the stands with a match or event ticket.
Eden Gardens at a glance
| Detail | What we verified (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Location | Maidan, BBD Bagh area, Kolkata; near the Writers’ Building and opposite the Calcutta High Court |
| Established | 1864 |
| Capacity | About 68,000 (since the 2011 renovation) |
| Home teams | Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL) and the Bengal teams |
| Owner/headquarters | Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is based at the stadium |
| Entry | By ticket for matches and events only; no published visiting hours |
Correction: an earlier version of this article called Eden Gardens the biggest cricket stadium in India and the second biggest in the world after the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That is no longer true. Eden Gardens is the second-largest cricket stadium in India and the third-largest in the world.
History of Eden Gardens
The stadium takes its name from the Eden Gardens park next to it. The park was named in 1841 after Emily and Fanny Eden, sisters of Lord Auckland, who was Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842. A popular story says that a local zamindar, Babu Rajchandra Das, gave a garden by the Hooghly to Lord Auckland and Emily Eden, but the exact origin of the name is uncertain.
Correction: an earlier version of this article said the stadium was “established in 1864 by Lord Auckland Eden, the then Governor General”. Lord Auckland left India in 1842, more than 20 years before the cricket ground was established, and he was never Viceroy.
The Burmese Pagoda in the gardens
A Burmese pagoda stands in the gardens, almost surrounded by water. An inscription recorded with a 19th-century photograph in the British Library says the structure was removed from the city of Prome (now Pyay, in Myanmar) in August and September 1854 and rebuilt on this site between October and December 1856. It was brought to Calcutta after the Second Anglo-Burmese War, in Lord Dalhousie’s time.
Landmark matches
- First Test: India v England, 5 to 8 January 1934.
- First One-Day International: India v Pakistan, 18 February 1987.
- 1987 World Cup final: Australia beat England by 7 runs on 8 November 1987. Eden Gardens was only the second ground to host a World Cup final, after Lord’s.
- 1996 World Cup semi-final: India v Sri Lanka drew the ground’s record crowd of 110,564. The match was awarded to Sri Lanka after crowd trouble stopped play.
- First T20 International: India v England, 29 October 2011.
- 2016 World Twenty20 final: West Indies beat England by 4 wickets on 3 April 2016.
- 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup: five matches, including the semi-final on 16 November 2023, which Australia won against South Africa by 3 wickets.
- India’s first day-night Test: against Bangladesh, 22 to 26 November 2019.
Records set at the ground
- V. V. S. Laxman has scored the most Test runs at Eden Gardens, 1,217, and his 281 against Australia in 2001 is the highest Test score made here.
- In the same 2000–01 series, Harbhajan Singh took a hat-trick here, the first Test hat-trick by an Indian bowler.
- Rohit Sharma’s 264 against Sri Lanka on 13 November 2014 is the highest individual score in One-Day International history.
- Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most ODI runs at Eden Gardens, 496.
The earlier version of this article quoted comments by Steve Waugh, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sourav Ganguly about the Eden crowd, and called it the loudest ever during the 2001 Test against Australia. We could not trace those quotes to a reliable source, so they have been removed. Eden Gardens is, however, famous for the size and noise of its crowds.
Architecture and renovations
The stadium held about 40,000 people before 1987. It was rebuilt for the 1987 World Cup, after which its capacity was about 100,000 (some accounts put it near 94,000). A two-year renovation for the 2011 Cricket World Cup reduced the capacity to about 68,000, with a new clubhouse, players’ facilities and refurbished stands and roofing. Because the work was not finished in time, the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved the India v England match scheduled for 27 February 2011 to another venue. A further expansion to about 100,000 seats has been planned.
The clubhouse is named after Dr B. C. Roy (Bidhan Chandra Roy), a former Chief Minister of West Bengal. In 2016 the stadium added a bell that is rung to start the day’s play; former India captain Kapil Dev rang it first, at the India v New Zealand Test in September 2016.
The earlier version described the roof as “supported by 42 columns”. We could not confirm that figure, so it has been removed.
Tickets and visiting
- Match tickets: buy only through the official sellers announced for each match by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the IPL franchise or the Cricket Association of Bengal. Prices change for every match.
- Non-match days: there is no published public tour of the stadium. The earlier version said that visiting on a non-match day needs permission from the Cricket Association of Bengal; contact CAB directly if you want to try.
- Weather: Kolkata is hot and humid for much of the year, so carry water and plan for day matches in the heat.
- Security: check the list of banned items printed on your match ticket before you go.
How to reach Eden Gardens
- By suburban rail: Eden Gardens station on the Kolkata Circular Railway is beside the stadium.
- By metro: the Eden Gardens station on the Purple Line is still under construction. The nearest working metro stations are Esplanade (Blue and Green Lines) and Mahakaran (Green Line); both are a walk or a short taxi ride away. An earlier version of this article named Park Street as the nearest metro station, but Esplanade and Mahakaran are closer.
- By road: buses and taxis run to BBD Bagh and Esplanade from across the city. Expect road closures and heavy traffic on match days.
- From Howrah station: take the Green Line under the Hooghly towards Esplanade.
Places to visit nearby
Eden Gardens sits at the northern end of the Maidan, Kolkata’s great open ground. Raj Bhavan, the Governor’s residence, is a short walk away, and Millennium Park runs along the river on Strand Road. For an evening by the water, many visitors also walk to Prinsep Ghat, further south along the river.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eden Gardens the largest cricket stadium in India?
No. It is the oldest and the second-largest cricket stadium in India, with about 68,000 seats. The largest is the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Can I visit Eden Gardens without a match ticket?
There is no regular public tour or visiting hours. Entry to the stands is with a match or event ticket. For anything else, contact the Cricket Association of Bengal.
Which IPL team plays at Eden Gardens?
The Kolkata Knight Riders, who have played their home matches here since the IPL began in 2008.
When was the first Test match played at Eden Gardens?
From 5 to 8 January 1934, between India and England.
Who is Eden Gardens named after?
It takes its name from the adjoining Eden Gardens park, named in 1841 after Emily and Fanny Eden, the sisters of Governor-General Lord Auckland.
Details checked in October 2026 against stadium and match records, Kolkata Metro line information and the British Library’s record of the Burmese Pagoda inscription. Match tickets and entry rules change for each event, so check the official ticketing partner before you go.
