The Brabourne Stadium, owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI), was established in 1937. Named after Lord Brabourne, the former Bombay Governor, the venue was built on a piece of reclaimed land along the Marine Drive in Mumbai.
It used to regularly host international and domestic cricket in its early days. However, disputes with the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA) resulted in it losing games to the Wankhede Stadium.
The Brabourne Stadium has the distinction of hosting the first T20 International in India, a match between the Indian and Australian men’s cricket teams.
Meanwhile, the first women’s T20 International at the venue was conducted on March 22, 2018, as the Indian women’s cricket team hosted Australia. Although Smriti Mandhana scored a 41-ball 67 while India batted first, Beth Mooney and Elyse Villani’s crucial third-wicket partnership took the Aussies over the line in that match.
So far, eight women’s T20 Internationals have been conducted at the Brabourne Stadium. India women, so far, have only won once at this venue in seven outings.
Brabourne Stadium women’s T20 Internationals records
Most runs
India’s Smriti Mandhana holds the record for most runs in women’s T20 Internationals at the Brabourne Stadium. The Mumbai-born opening batter has scored 229 runs in seven matches. While Mandhana boasts an impressive average of 38.16 in WT20Is here, the runs have also been scored at a quickfire strike rate of 152.66.
Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry, meanwhile, is the leading run-getter at Brabourne among foreign players. She has amassed 215 runs, while striking at 153.37, in this format here.
Most wickets
Australian cricketers have rejoiced bowling at Brabourne. Ashleigh Gardner is the leading wicket-taker at the venue in women’s T20 Internationals with 12 wickets. With a bowling average and economy rate of 11.66 and 6.36, respectively, Gardner’s off-spin has been mighty effective on these turning tracks.
Fellow Aussie Megan Schutt ranks second on this list with 10 wickets in seven matches. With nine wickets, all-rounder Deepti Sharma has scalped the most wickets for India in WT20Is here.
Highest team total
The Australian women’s cricket team has registered the highest team total at the Brabourne Stadium in women’s T20 Internationals.
On March 31, 2018, Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani took on the English bowlers, helping Australia score 209/4 in the Tri-Nation Women's T20 Series final. The Aussies won the match by 51 runs after following up with a steady bowling performance.
India’s highest team total in this format at Brabourne is 198/4, which was scored against England, six days before the above-mentioned match. However, the English women’s cricket team chased the score down with eight balls to spare.
Lowest team total
England Women were bowled out for 96 against Australia Women on March 28, 2018, which remains the lowest team total in WT20Is here. Ellyse Perry, who scalped a wicket, also scored an unbeaten 32-ball 47 to seal an eight-wicket victory for the Australian side.
England Women’s 107 and India Women’s 142 are the other two scores in the top three of this list.
Highest partnership
It is yet another Australian record in WT20Is at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani grabbed the top spot after a 139-run stand in the aforementioned Tri-Nation Women's T20 Series final.
Fellow Australians Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris follow as they stitched 129 runs together against India Women in December 2022. Indian pair Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj, too, have registered a stand of 129 at the venue.
Highest individual score
England’s Danni Wyatt is the only century-maker in women’s T20 International at the Brabourne Stadium. She smashed 124 runs in just 64 balls against India Tri-Nation Women's T20 Series in 2018. The flamboyant knock included 15 fours and five sixes, while she scored at a blistering rate of 193.75.
While Meg Lanning (88*) and Smriti Mandhana (76) have the second and third-highest scores, respectively, Ellyse Perry (75 and 72*) ranks fourth and fifth in this list.
Best bowling figures
Aussie all-rounder Heather Graham’s tricky spell of 4/8 against India Women in December 2022 is the best bowling figures in WT20Is at the venue. It is the only four-for at Brabourne in this format.
Defending a target of 197, Graham scalped her first wicket in the 13th over. She derailed the second half of India’s run chase as Australia won the match by 54 runs.
Megan Schutt, Delissa Kimmince, Anuja Patil, Jhulan Goswami and Jenny Gunn are the players who have picked three wickets in a women’s T20 International here.
Photo credits: Alamy
