Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report, T20 Records & Stats 2026
📍 City: Chennai
🏟️ Capacity: ~33,500
🏏 Home: Chennai Super Kings
About MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official Name | MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Common Name | Chepauk Stadium |
| Location | Victoria Hostel Road, Chepauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Established | 1916 |
| Capacity | ~33,500 spectators |
| IPL Home Team | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
| Bowling Ends | Pavilion End & Ladies Stand End |
| Average Boundary | ~68 metres (straight) |
| Flood Lights | Yes |
| Notable Distinction | Oldest cricket stadium in India, established 1916 |
Established in 1916, MA Chidambaram Stadium (popularly known as Chepauk) is the oldest cricket stadium in India, and as a result, is older than many of the international cricket boards it has hosted. Located in the middle of Chennai in a neighbourhood called Chepauk and only a few metres from the Bay of Bengal, this stadium is owned by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and is the iconic home ground of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League. It has a capacity of 33,500 making it one of the loudest and most intimidating cricket stadiums in the world, especially when home games are played by CSK.
What truly makes Chepauk a one of a kind T20 ground is that it completely goes against the current T20 trends. While most of the major T20 leagues in the world have created venues that cater to the chasing side, Chepauk is one of the few that still favours the side batting first. The combination of a sluggish first innings, highly spin friendly, and deteriorating batting surface; the larger than average boundaries that are combined with a high humidity climate that will lead a much lesser dew risk during the peak of the season; coupled with the last factor of the innings will create a surface that is much less batting friendly, makes a strong and powerful strategic advantage when in the first innings of a match as a batting side to set a target.
The Pitch Report
Chepauk’s MA Chidambaram Stadium is famous for having the most spin friendly surface across all IPL venues. In comparison to the flat and quick Wankhede or Chinnaswamy tracks, Chepauk’s black-soil pitch provides early grabs for significant turn and bounce. Chepauk pitches are fantastic for a batter’s first six and first innings and the surface is new, while the ball comes to the bat comfortably.
At Chepauk, spinners enjoy a significant economic advantage over pace bowlers. Spinners, on average, give 7.4 runs an over compared to 8.9 runs an over for pace bowlers. This is almost a 1.5 runs per over difference, which has huge ramifications for team and fantasy selection. Although pacers account for 61% of all wickets here due to their new ball powerplay ability, it still comes down to the good spinner on whether or not a team will win or lose. A good off-spinner in overs 7 to 14 should expect to destroy a batting line up at Chepauk and this is a phenomenon not seen in many IPL venues.
As the second innings begins at Chepauk, the pitch conditions are markedly worse than at the start of the match — rough patches start to develop at the crease where the right-handed batters make contact with the fast bowlers, and under the floodlights, reading the pitch to determine where the odd bit of variable bounce can be tricky and can be the difference between spending time at the crease and getting out to the bowlers.
The average score of the first innings of a match at Chepauk is 164, and in fact, 165 to 170 is a score that can be defended at this ground because of the quality spin bowlers that they will have in their arsenals. So therefore, they will be selecting their quality spinners along with their explosive batsmen because unlike Wankhede or Chinnaswamy, spinners at Chepauk have been consistent in terms of providing fantasy value to players in both innings.
Toss Bias & Win Predictor
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, strategy becomes interesting. During the 91 IPL matches that have been hosted here, winning the toss and electing to bat first becomes a statistically sound decision, and analytically, teams that have been the first to set a target of 51 runs have a 56% win record at this venue while teams who have been the second to set a target of 40 runs have a 44% win record.
This venue is statistically the most beneficial for first innings bowlers in a dry and worn out pitch scenario where the second innings bowlers have a set advantage in terms of a spin focus throughout the innings. This is also the very same time frame where there is significantly reduced amounts of moisture which is beneficial for spin bowlers.
Batting First Win %
56%
Chasing Win %
44%
Verdict: The captain winning the toss should definitely consider: BATTTING FIRST. This is the only major IPL venue where the usual thinking about chasing is out of the question. Batting first wins 56% of all completed games and given the sharp turn and variable bounce the pitch offers in the 2nd innings, the match winning cliche at Chepauk is set your opp’s score at 170+ and then let your best spinner rip on a all teched out cheating pitch.
The only IPL venue where teams have game outside of the rest of the venue where two good spinners. The only weather excuse you have to not chase is if the forecast is showing strange rain overnight where the pitch may get damp, and it resets.
Key T20 Records
Average 1st Innings
164
(91 IPL matches)
Highest IPL Total
246/5
(CSK vs RR, 2010)
Lowest Defended
116/9
(CSK vs PBKS, 2009)
Wicket Split
Pace: 61%
Spin: 39%
Weather & Dew Factor
The climate in Chennai is very different from that of Mumbai, given Chennai’s position on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. When heat is combined with winds from the southeast and minimal rainfall, it marks the start of the IPL season in dry summer. The temperatures during the day at the stadium where the IPL matches are held sometimes surpass 36- 40 degrees celsius, making Chennai one of the hottest stadiums in the IPL. By the time the matches start. 7:30pm the temperature usually drops to about 30-32 degree celsius, and the humidity is a tad better but still lingering at around 65-70%
💧 DEW FACTOR: LOW — PITCH DETERIORATION IS THE REAL STORY. Wankhede Stadium is mentioned as a coastal dew nightmare. In contrast, MA Chidambaram Stadium experiences little to no dew during an April–May IPL season. This occurs due to dry summer winds from Tamil Nadu, causing moisture to not settle on the outfield. This sets the precedent that while batting second creates strategic advantages during other matches, that simply isn’t the case here.
The biggest challenge that weather poses at Chepauk is due to extreme heat, which can affect player stamina while fielding. This can also slow down the outfield over time during daytime matches. For IPL matches that are played in the evening, the heat is more favorable. This means the pitch dries up more and begins to deteriorate more and more throughout the second innings, especially to those who batted first.
IPL Records at MA Chidambaram Stadium
As the home stadium of Chennai Super Kings — IPL’s most successful with 5 titles — MA Chidambaram Stadium has seen some of the league’s most outstanding performances from teams and individuals. The historic ground has also seen some of the highest and lowest extremes in T20, ranging from Murali Vijay’s explosive 127 to the lowest ever team total of just 70.
🏏 Highest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSK | 246/5 | RR | 2010 |
| CSK | 231/2 | RCB | 2012 |
| CSK | 222/3 | KKR | 2010 |
| CSK | 218/4 | KXIP | 2014 |
| RR | 223/5 | CSK | 2010 |
📉 Lowest IPL Totals at This Venue
| Team | Score | Vs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCB | 70 | CSK | 2019 |
| RR | 88 | CSK | 2011 |
| MI | 101 | CSK | 2013 |
| KKR | 108 | CSK | 2012 |
| PBKS | 116 | CSK | 2014 |
Best Individual Performers at MA Chidambaram Stadium
MA Chidambaram stadium is known for many legends but one name stands above all, and that is MS Dhoni. As he owns the place both spiritually and from a cricketing perspective, Chepauk has seen many of Dhoni’s memorable innings, tactical masterclasses, and finishing services that made the crowd go wild. However, apart from Dhoni, this ground has seen many other exceptional individual performances, both with the bat and the ball, and even more so, the world over, with spinners.
🔥 Top Individual Scores (IPL) at This Venue
| Batsman | Score | Balls | Strike Rate | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murali Vijay | 127 | 56 | 226 | CSK vs RR | 2010 |
| Michael Hussey | 116* | 54 | 214 | CSK vs MI | 2013 |
| Virender Sehwag | 108 | 55 | 196 | KXIP vs CSK | 2014 |
| Suresh Raina | 100* | 53 | 188 | CSK vs KKR | 2010 |
| MS Dhoni | 84* | 48 | 175 | CSK vs SRH | 2018 |
📊 All-Time IPL Run Scorers at This Venue
| Batsman | Runs | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 1,530+ | CSK |
| Suresh Raina | 1,498+ | CSK |
| Murali Vijay | 928+ | CSK |
| Michael Hussey | 848+ | CSK |
| Faf du Plessis | 620+ | CSK / RCB |
🎯 Best Bowling Figures (IPL) at This Venue
| Bowler | Figures | Fixture | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 4 / 11 | CSK vs MI | 2011 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 4 / 20 | CSK vs KKR | 2015 |
| Imran Tahir | 4 / 12 | CSK vs RCB | 2019 |
| Albie Morkel | 4 / 16 | CSK vs RR | 2010 |
| Shane Watson | 3 / 9 | CSK vs DC | 2018 |
Fantasy Cricket Tips: Playing a Match at MA Chidambaram Stadium
🏏 Bat First = Pick Their Top Order
Among all the IPL stadiums, Chepauk has the best statistics for the team batting first. Therefore, if you see a team batting first after winning the toss, the top-order batters from that team are great fantasy picks. In the first innings, the pitch is bound to be at its best for the first 10 overs so you are able to maximize your fantasy investment.
🔄 Pick a Quality Spinner — Always
When it comes to using spinners in the IPL, no other stadium gives spinners as much value as Chepauk. A top Class off-spinner or leg-spinner playing at Chepauk can win you the match as he will have an economy of 7.4 and will take 39% of all the wickets. Therefore if Yuzvendra Chahal, or any other top spinner is playing, then you have to select him for your fantasy team.
☀️ Ignore the Dew — Focus on Pitch
At Chepauk, you have to ignore the pitch strategy in case of dew like at Wankheda and Chinnaswamy. In the months of April and May there is very little dew. Instead concentrate more on the strategy around the pitch. Pitches in the 2nd innings are usually a lot more difficult and slower than those in the 1st innings and tend to produce a lot more collapses. That is why, at this ground, a first innings batter is a much safer and better pick than a second innings batter from your fantasy team.
Every IPL venue requires a degree of fantasy thinking, but MA Chidambaram Stadium requires an entirely different type. Forget the universal rule of “back the chasers.” At Chepauk, you back the team batting first, you choose the top four batters from that team, and you definitely pick at least one good spinner. With a batting first win rate of 56%, first innings average score of 164, and consistent performances of spin bowlers over pace bowlers, this venue rewards smart team selection over gut feeling.