Match overview
Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans by 63 runs at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on 26 March 2024. CSK batted first after Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to field, posting 206/6 from their 20 overs. Gujarat Titans never matched the asking rate in their reply, finishing on 143/8. Shivam Dube was named Player of the Match for his contribution to a middle-overs passage that produced 86 runs for 2 wickets and determined the size of the target. The result kept the head-to-head record between the sides perfectly level: 4 wins each from 8 IPL meetings.
The innings was built in phases. CSK's powerplay return of 69 runs for 1 wicket was 26 runs above the venue's historical average of 43, giving them a platform the middle order could build on rather than recover. When Gujarat Titans batted, their own powerplay produced 43 runs but for the cost of 2 wickets, leaving them behind the required rate almost immediately. By the time the death overs arrived, the match was settled. GT's final four overs yielded only 29 runs for 3 wickets, against CSK's 51 in the same phase.
Venue and conditions
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, commonly known as Chepauk, is one of the older grounds on the IPL circuit and historically one of the more batting-friendly venues in India. Across 127 T20 matches at the ground, the average first-innings score sits at 192 and the average second-innings score at 177. CSK's 206/6 was 14 runs above the first-innings benchmark, which immediately made GT's task harder than the venue norms would usually suggest.
Chepauk's pitch tends to assist spin in the middle overs, which compresses scoring between overs 7 and 15 relative to the powerplay and death. The average powerplay return at this ground is 43 runs, and the average death-over total is 38. Both figures point to a ground where getting ahead in the powerplay is worth more than at most T20 venues. The toss data is also notable: only 41 per cent of toss winners choose to field at Chepauk, and the chase success rate across the ground's 127 matches stands at 46 per cent. Teams batting first have historically held a small but consistent advantage here.
How to watch
IPL matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Coverage is available to stream through Sky Go for existing subscribers, or via a NOW TV day or month pass for those without a full Sky package. Match start times in India typically fall in the mid-afternoon or evening IST slot, which translates to early or late afternoon in the UK depending on daylight saving. Check Sky's listings for the confirmed UK broadcast time for each fixture.
Recent form
Going into this match, Chennai Super Kings had won four of their previous five IPL fixtures, including an opening-week victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2024 season and back-to-back wins over Gujarat Titans in 2023. Their only defeat in that five-match window came against Kolkata Knight Riders. Gujarat Titans arrived with a slightly more mixed record: one win over Mumbai Indians in 2024, alongside two losses to CSK and two wins over Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore across the 2023 campaign. The pattern broadly suggested CSK had found a way to handle GT's bowling attack, and 26 March 2024 at Chepauk continued that trend. The next fixture in this head-to-head will see GT looking to close the gap on what remains a finely balanced rivalry.
