MA Chidambaram Stadium has hosted 92 IPL matches since April 2008. Across those games, it has produced consistent, repeatable patterns: batting first wins 56.5% of the time, spin takes most of the wickets in the second innings, and 200-plus first-innings scores occur only 16 times in 92.
These numbers do not shift much from season to season. That predictability makes Chepauk one of the most well-understood surfaces in the tournament.
This article reviews the key stats for this venue, section by section: pitch data, batting records, bowling records, team totals, chases, fielding, and CSK’s home record. All numbers here are based on verified IPL data through IPL 2024.
Venue Snapshot: MA Chidambaram Stadium
Before the stats, here are the basic facts about the ground:
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 1916 |
| Location | Chepauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Capacity | 50,000 |
| IPL Matches Hosted | 92 (through IPL 2024) |
| First IPL Match | April 23, 2008 CSK vs MI |
| Home Team | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
| Highest IPL Team Score | 246/5 CSK vs RR, 2010 |
| Lowest IPL Team Score | 70 all out RCB vs CSK, 2019 |
| IPL Finals Hosted | 2011, 2012, 2024 |
The stadium carries historical weight beyond the IPL. It hosted India’s first-ever Test victory in 1952 against England, and the second-ever tied Test in history when Australia toured in 1986. It is the second-oldest international cricket stadium in India and continues to host Test cricket.
Pitch Conditions: What the Data Shows
The Chepauk surface uses red soil. It dries out fast under Chennai’s heat, and the pace slows noticeably by the middle overs. The bounce stays low throughout. These two factors slower pace and low bounce, favor spinners over pace bowlers from roughly the eighth over onward.
Teams batting first win 56.5% of the time here, which is a real edge. The average first-innings score of 164.6 indicates this is not a venue where 190 or 200 is routine. Of 92 first innings, only 16 cleared 200. No team has ever passed 250 at this ground.
| Pitch Factor | Data |
|---|---|
| Batting First Win % | 56.5% (52 wins out of 92 matches) |
| Batting Second Win % | 43.5% (40 wins out of 92 matches) |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 164.6 runs |
| Average 2nd Innings Score | 150.3 runs |
| Straight Boundary | ~80 meters |
| Square Boundary | ~65 to 68 meters |
| 1st Innings Scores 200+ | 16 out of 92 matches |
| Highest 1st Innings Score | 246/5 (CSK vs RR, 2010) |
| Wickets — Right-arm bowlers | 745 total (both innings) |
| Wickets — Left-arm bowlers | 277 total (both innings) |
| Surface | Red soil; grips for spinners as overs progress |
Key finding: Right-arm bowlers have taken 745 wickets at this ground compared to 277 by left-arm bowlers. That gap reflects the pitch’s preference for off-spin and leg-spin over left-arm pace and orthodox spin. Teams that load up on right-arm spin consistently outperform those that do not.
The large boundaries also matter. Sixes here require genuine timing or strength. The total of 1,017 sixes across 92 matches works out to roughly 11 per match across both innings combined. That is below the IPL average for most other venues.
Batting Records
Here are Key Batting Records:
Top Run Scorers
MS Dhoni leads all run scorers at this venue with 1,547 runs, despite batting no higher than number five for most of his career. Suresh Raina follows closely with 1,498 runs. Both players spent the bulk of their IPL careers at CSK, so their dominance here reflects both skill and familiarity with the pitch. No other batter has crossed 1,000 runs at this ground.
| Player | Runs at Chepauk |
|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 1,547 |
| Suresh Raina | 1,498 |
| Murali Vijay | 928 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 750+ |
| Faf du Plessis | 680+ |
Raina’s 1,498 runs include one century and eight fifties. His ratio of fours to sixes here, 165 fours versus 45 sixes, reflects a ground-hitting approach suited to the slow surface and large boundaries. Dhoni took the opposite approach in terms of style but matched Raina in output, converting deep batting positions into decisive innings under pressure.
Highest Individual Scores
Murali Vijay’s 127 not out off 56 balls against Rajasthan Royals in 2010 remains the highest individual score in IPL history at this ground. He reached his century in 46 balls, also the fastest hundred ever scored at Chepauk. The innings came in a match in which CSK posted 246/5, the highest team total at the venue.
Marcus Stoinis produced 124 not out for Lucknow Super Giants in the 2024 IPL, chasing 211 set by CSK. That innings stands as the highest score ever made by a player on the losing side of a toss at this ground and the cornerstone of the highest successful chase here.
| Player | Score | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Murali Vijay | 127* | CSK vs RR 2010, 56 balls |
| Marcus Stoinis | 124* | LSG vs CSK 2024, match-winning chase |
| Murali Vijay | 113 | CSK |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 108* | CSK |
| Suresh Raina | 100* | CSK’s only century by Raina at this ground |
Most Sixes and Fours
Dhoni’s 77 sixes at Chepauk stand alone. Given that the straight boundary runs to 80 meters and the square boundary sits between 65 and 68 meters, each of those sixes required either clean timing or exceptional power. Raina’s 165 fours show a contrasting approach: finding gaps, rotating strike, and building innings through placement rather than aerial hitting.
| Player | Sixes | Player | Fours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 77 | Suresh Raina | 165 |
| Suresh Raina | 45 | MS Dhoni | 120 |
| Murali Vijay | 35 | Murali Vijay | 105 |
| Albie Morkel | 26 | Faf du Plessis | 85 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 24 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 80+ |
Bowling Records
Most Wickets
Ravichandran Ashwin leads all bowlers at this ground with 52 wickets. He grew up in Chennai and developed his craft there. His right-arm off-spin gets natural assistance from the surface, and his record here is the strongest evidence that right-arm spin is the most valuable bowling type at Chepauk.
Dwayne Bravo’s 44 wickets show that pace bowlers can also thrive here when they use slower balls and variations instead of trying to beat batters with pace. Ravindra Jadeja’s 42 wickets follow a similar logic: he controls flight and pace, extracting turn without needing the pitch to misbehave.
| Player | Wickets at Chepauk |
|---|---|
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 52 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 44 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 42 |
| Albie Morkel | 36 |
| Mohit Sharma | 28 |
Best Bowling Figures
Akash Madhwal’s 5 for 5 against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2023 Eliminator stands as one of the most devastating bowling performances this ground has seen. He took five wickets and conceded only five runs. Mumbai Indians won that match by 81 runs, ending LSG’s campaign.
Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 12 is the best haul by wickets at this venue. Andre Russell’s 5 for 15 in 2021 showed that right-arm pace bowlers can produce five-wicket spells here when conditions and rhythm align. These two performances together challenge the assumption that Chepauk rewards spin only.
| Player | Figures | Match / Context |
|---|---|---|
| Alzarri Joseph | 6/12 | Best figures by wickets at this venue |
| Akash Madhwal | 5/5 | IPL 2023 Eliminator MI vs LSG, MI won by 81 |
| Andre Russell | 5/15 | KKR vs CSK, 2021 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 5/16 | CSK |
| R. Ashwin | 4/11 | CSK’s best figures by Ashwin at home |
Team Records
Here are Key Team Records:
Highest Team Totals
CSK posted 246/5 against Rajasthan Royals in 2010, with Murali Vijay scoring 127 and Albie Morkel adding 62. That total has never been surpassed at this ground. The next three highest scores all belong to teams that scored at least 200, but the jump from 246 down to 223 shows how much of an outlier the CSK innings was.
Only 16 of 92 first innings at this venue have cleared 200. The data show this is a ground where defending a first-innings score of 160-175 is a realistic match-winning strategy, not just a hope.
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| CSK vs RR | 246/5 CSK (2010) |
| RR vs CSK | 223/5 RR |
| CSK vs DD | 222/5 CSK |
| CSK vs RCB | 209/4 CSK |
| CSK vs RCB | 205/5 CSK |
Lowest Team Totals
Royal Challengers Bangalore collapsed to 70 all out against CSK in 2019. That score is 94 runs below the venue’s average second innings score, which makes it a statistical outlier in the same way CSK’s 246 was at the top end. Lucknow Super Giants’ 101 all out in the 2023 Eliminator came directly after Madhwal’s 5-for-5 spell.
Both collapses occurred in matches in which spinners and accurate pace bowlers operated to a plan. The pitch did not cause the collapses on its own. The conditions made them easier to engineer.
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| RCB vs CSK | 70 all out 2019 (lowest ever at Chepauk in IPL) |
| LSG vs MI | 101 all out 2023 Eliminator |
| CSK vs KKR | 103/9 |
| KKR vs CSK | 108/9 |
| DC vs CSK | 115 all out |
Highest Successful Chases
Lucknow Super Giants chased down 213 against CSK in IPL 2024. Marcus Stoinis’ 124 not out drove that chase almost single-handedly. Before that match, no team had ever successfully chased more than 210 here. The next three successful chases on this list, 206, 201, and 190, all came in years before 2024.
Chasing teams win 43.5% of the time at Chepauk. That means a first-innings score of 165 or less gives the defending team a below-average advantage. Teams that bat first and score only 150-160 here lose more often than they win.
| Match | Total Chased (Result) |
|---|---|
| LSG vs CSK IPL 2024 | 213/4 (Stoinis 124*) |
| CSK vs RCB | 206/5 |
| PBKS vs CSK | 201/6 |
| MI vs KKR | 190/3 |
| CSK vs MI | 185/4 |
Fielding Records
Here are the best fielding records:
Most Catches
Suresh Raina leads all fielders at Chepauk with 25 catches. Dhoni follows with 22, though a large portion of his dismissals came behind the stumps. Faf du Plessis rounds out the top three with 18 catches. All three spent extended time at CSK, which explains their volume.
| Player | Catches at Chepauk |
|---|---|
| Suresh Raina | 25 |
| MS Dhoni | 22 (includes stumpings) |
| Faf du Plessis | 18 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 16 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 14 |
Highest Partnership
Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay hold the record for the highest partnership at this ground. Their 159-run opening stand for CSK against RCB in 2011 set up a large total. Vijay scored 95, and Hussey contributed 63 in that partnership. It remains the only time a pair has added 150 or more runs together at Chepauk in IPL cricket.
The fact that the record opening stand is 159 rather than 180 or 200 reflects the nature of the pitch. Sustained partnerships are possible here, but they require steady accumulation rather than aggressive power-hitting from ball one.
CSK’s Home Record
Chennai Super Kings have played 75 IPL matches at their home ground and won 51 of them. That is a home win percentage above 68%, one of the best home records in IPL history for any franchise.
The first IPL match at Chepauk on April 23, 2008, set the template. CSK posted 208/5, with Matthew Hayden scoring 81 and Suresh Raina adding a half-century. They beat the Mumbai Indians by six runs. That combination of a strong batting total, disciplined bowling, and a close finish has defined most of CSK’s home wins since.
The stadium has hosted three IPL finals: 2011, when CSK beat RCB by 58 runs to become the first team to win the title at their home ground; 2012, when KKR beat CSK to win their first title; and 2024, when KKR defeated SRH to win their third. Chepauk also hosted the 2023 Qualifier 1, where CSK beat Gujarat Titans by 15 runs on the way to their fifth IPL championship.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches Played at Home | 75 |
| Matches Won | 51 |
| Matches Lost | 24 |
| Home Win Percentage | 68%+ |
| IPL Titles Won | 5 (joint most with MI) |
| IPL Finals Hosted | 2011, 2012, 2024 |
Full Match Statistics Summary
These are the cumulative numbers from all 92 IPL matches at MA Chidambaram Stadium:
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Matches | 92 |
| Total Runs (both innings) | 28,975 |
| Average Runs Per Match | 314.9 |
| Matches Won Batting First | 52 (56.5%) |
| Matches Won Chasing | 40 (43.5%) |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 164.6 |
| Average 2nd Innings Score | 150.3 |
| Total Sixes | 1,017 |
| Total Fours | 2,352 |
| Total Wickets — Right-arm | 745 |
| Total Wickets — Left-arm | 277 |
| First Innings Scores 200+ | 16 (17.4% of first innings) |
| Highest Score (either innings) | 246/5 CSK vs RR, 2010 |
| Lowest Score (either innings) | 70 all out RCB vs CSK, 2019 |
What the Numbers Tell Teams
Here are the Key Stats:
| Category | Key Metric / Data Point | Strategic Conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Toss & Batting Strategy | 56.5% Win rate for batting first. | Batting first is the preferred choice, provided the target is defended well. |
| Score Benchmarks | 175+: High win probability. <165: Advantage shifts to the chasing team. | 165 is the critical “pivot point” for a competitive total. |
| Spin Dominance | Right-arm: 745 wickets. Left-arm: 277 wickets. | Squads with multiple right-arm spin options have a structural advantage. |
| Pace Profile | Best figures: 5/15 (Russell), 5/5 (Madhwal), 6/12 (Joseph). | Raw speed fails; success depends on cutters, slower balls, and variations. |
| Batting Style | Raina’s Ratio: 165 Fours to 45 Sixes. Avg score: 164.6. | Large boundaries favor placement and strike rotation over high-risk power hitting. |
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Conclusion: MA Chidambaram Stadium CSK’s DEN
MA Chidambaram Stadium shows consistent patterns across most IPL seasons. The pitch slows down, right-arm spinners take more wickets, batting first gives a real but not decisive edge, and scores above 180 are achievable but not the norm. Those patterns are clearly evident in 92 data matches.
CSK has used those patterns better than any other team. Their 68% home win rate did not come from superior talent alone. It came from building squads around the surface, reading match conditions accurately, and turning a modest first-innings average of 164.6 into a target opponents find difficult to chase.
Every IPL season at Chepauk will likely yield additional data confirming the same trends. The ground will not suddenly become a 200-plus venue or a pacer-friendly pitch. Its consistency is part of what makes it one of the most analytically useful surfaces in the entire IPL.
