Narendra Modi Stadium carries a 50-50 bat-first/chase split across 44 confirmed IPL matches - the most balanced win record of any T20 venue in the competition. Yet individual game totals swing wildly, from 86 all out to 243 for 5 in the same era. This pitch report explains the surface behaviour, how dew changes the equation by month, and exactly which phase of the innings decides games at Motera.
Quick Answer - Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report
Narendra Modi Stadium is a batting-friendly surface with an average first-innings IPL score of 177. The bat-first/chase record is perfectly even (22-22 in 44 matches). Pace moves the ball in the powerplay; wrist-spinners find grip from overs 8-16. Dew arrives from overs 13-14 in May-June matches. A score of 175+ is competitive here - see where that ranks among the all-time IPL batting records.
हिन्दी: नरेंद्र मोदी स्टेडियम (अहमदाबाद) एक बल्लेबाज़ी के अनुकूल पिच है। IPL में पहली पारी का औसत स्कोर 177 रन है। टॉस जीतकर पहले बल्लेबाज़ी और पहले गेंदबाज़ी - दोनों के जीत के अवसर लगभग बराबर हैं।
Stats verified via ESPNcricinfo and the official IPL site, updated 28 Jun 2026.
Narendra Modi Stadium IPL Stats at a Glance
Covers rebuild-era IPL matches from 2022 through 2026, when the current pitch preparation has been consistent.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| IPL matches played (2022 rebuild era) | 44+ (through IPL 2026) |
| Average first-innings score | 177 |
| Average second-innings score | ~160 |
| Highest total | 243/5 by PBKS vs GT, 2025 |
| Lowest total | 86 by SRH vs GT, 12 May 2026 |
| Highest successful chase | 204/3 by GT vs DC, 2025 |
| Lowest total defended | 130/8 by DC vs GT, 2023 |
| Wins batting first | 22 (50%) |
| Wins chasing | 22 (50%) |
| IPL Finals hosted | 4 (2022, 2023, 2025, 2026) |
| Boundary (straight / square) | ~75-76m / ~68-70m |
| Stadium capacity | 1,32,000 (world's largest) |
What the Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Does
Motera's pitch is a dual-soil surface. Red-clay ends give batters true, even bounce from ball one - no variable carry, no shooter, no surprise. Batters playing through the line rather than across it thrive here; orthodox openers consistently outscore the cross-bat slog-and-hope types. From around over 8, black-soil patches in the middle of the pitch begin to grip and slow, allowing wrist-spinners to straighten the ball. This is the phase where most wickets fall - and it happens faster than at most IPL grounds.
The outfield at the world's largest cricket stadium is firmly cut and quick. Straight boundaries run roughly 75-76 metres, square to around 68-70 metres - larger than most IPL venues. Precision timing over brute force is the winning formula. The semi-arid Ahmedabad air at 53 metres above sea level gives slightly more carry than sea-level grounds, but not enough to distort the contest meaningfully.
Is Narendra Modi Stadium Batting or Bowling Friendly?
Batting-friendly, with a middle-overs caveat. The powerplay is a flat road - pacers move the ball early but the pitch normalises fast. Overs 7-15 are genuinely contested: black-soil patches grip the ball for leg-spinners, and large straight boundaries penalise mid-game slogging. Death overs flip back to batters as the pitch flattens.
Pace bowlers who can reverse the ball in overs 11-14 - before dew softens it - do serious damage. Jasprit Bumrah's reverse-swing threat peaks in exactly that window at Motera. Mohit Sharma's 29 wickets from 15 matches at NMS lead all bowlers at the ground; Rashid Khan's 23 from 23 appearances reflect how the middle-overs spin phase suits wrist-spin especially.
Toss and Chasing Trends at Narendra Modi Stadium
The 22-22 split across 44 IPL matches says the toss is a coin-flip - broadly true, but hiding a seasonal shift. In March-April, batting-first teams dominate: dew barely arrives before overs 16-17, and 170-185 is hard to chase when spinners are still biting. The lowest total defended at NMS - 130/8 by Delhi Capitals in 2023 - came on one of those dry evenings.
By May and June, captains lean toward chasing. The highest successful chase here - 204/3 by GT against DC in 2025 - came in a May fixture with heavy dew. No blanket rule applies; month and pitch preparation matter as much as the toss call.
What to Expect at Narendra Modi Stadium
A typical IPL evening at Motera starts with a rapid powerplay - 55-65 in the first six overs on a good batting day. Overs 7-15 slow the scoring as spinners find black-soil patches and captains set defensive fields against the larger straight boundary. This is the phase that separates NMS from smaller, flatter venues: the game genuinely competes between bat and ball for eight overs, and the team that wins overs 7-15 usually wins the match. Death overs reset the rate quickly.
Par score is 170-185 batting first on a dry-season evening. Finals and playoffs at Motera tend to produce scores slightly below this - around 165-175 - because title pressure inflates wicket-in-hand caution and bowlers exploit it. The Wankhede consistently outpaces NMS for first-innings totals; Motera is the balanced option in the IPL's premium venue portfolio.
Most NMS pitch guides say bowl first because of dew - that is context-free advice. In March-April, dew is a non-issue before overs 16-17. The pitch turns from over 8 and 170 batting first is routinely harder to chase than it looks when a wrist-spinner owns the 10th-14th over window. Batting first in early-season Ahmedabad is correct most of the time. May-June changes it - dew from over 13 tilts things toward the chase. The trap is applying May dew logic to April fixtures. Compare the Eden Gardens, Kolkata toss pattern - opposite seasonal logic, same principle: read the month.
Frequently Asked Questions - Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch
Is Narendra Modi Stadium a batting or bowling pitch?
Narendra Modi Stadium is batting-friendly, with an IPL average first-innings score of 177 and a true, even-bounce surface that rewards stroke play. Wrist-spinners find grip from overs 8-16 on black-soil patches, giving the pitch genuine two-phase character - but batters control the contest overall.
What is the average first-innings score at Narendra Modi Stadium in the IPL?
The average first-innings IPL score at Narendra Modi Stadium is 177, with the second-innings average around 160. A total of 175-185 is competitive here; the highest score at the venue is 243/5 by Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans in 2025.
Should teams bat or bowl first at Narendra Modi Stadium?
Both options have won 22 times each in 44 completed IPL matches - neither is a default advantage. In March-April, bat first (dew arrives late, spinners bite in the second innings); in May-June, chasing is slightly better as dew arrives from over 13.
Does dew affect matches at Narendra Modi Stadium?
Yes, but onset varies by month. In March-April it barely settles before overs 16-17; in May-June it arrives from overs 13-14, reducing reverse swing and making chasing easier. Dew is not an automatic second-innings advantage - the month and weather forecast are decisive.
Does Narendra Modi Stadium favour pace or spin bowlers?
Both have clear windows: pace in the powerplay and overs 11-14 (reverse swing before dew); spin from overs 8-16 on black-soil patches. Mohit Sharma leads all-time NMS wickets with 29 from 15 matches; Rashid Khan has 23 from 23 appearances - exactly the kind of middle-overs economy-with-wickets record wrist-spin produces here.
The Bottom Line
Narendra Modi Stadium is the IPL's most genuinely balanced venue - neither bat nor ball has a structural advantage, which is exactly why reading the month matters more than the headline 50-50 average. Average first-innings of 177 is competitive and chaseable; the pitch pattern of pace-early, spin-middle, flat-at-death rewards squad depth over one-trick-pony bowling attacks. For IPL planning, the dew calendar and monthly pattern cut through the noise better than any single all-time figure.
