Match overview
Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on 1 May 2024. Chasing 163, Punjab Kings never looked troubled. Their middle overs produced 83 runs for just 2 wickets, effectively turning what looked like a competitive total into a routine chase. Harpreet Brar was named Player of the Match. For Chennai Super Kings, it was a match that got away from them after a bright start: 55 runs from the powerplay without loss gave them a platform, but three wickets in the middle overs stifled the innings and a final score of 162/7 proved below the Chepauk average of 192 across 127 matches.
Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to field. It was a call that paid off, though Chepauk's numbers do not always make fielding first the obvious choice. The venue's chase success rate is 46 per cent. Marginally below half. And its average second-innings score of 177 is lower than the first-innings equivalent. On this occasion, conditions and Punjab Kings' batting depth combined to make the toss decision look inspired.
Venue and conditions
Chepauk has staged 127 T20 matches and remains one of the more distinctive venues on the IPL circuit. The average first-innings score of 192 sets a high benchmark, which makes CSK's 162/7 particularly significant: they came up 30 runs short of what teams typically post here. The ground's powerplay average is 43 runs, so both sides slightly exceeded that. CSK with 55 and Punjab Kings with 52. Though CSK's powerplay was the more fluent of the two, with no wickets lost.
The death overs at Chepauk average 38 runs per innings. CSK posted 60 in the final phase, which should have made for a stiff target. The fact that Punjab Kings required only 28 runs in the last four overs to win tells its own story: the match was settled long before the death. Spinners have historically found Chepauk a productive surface, and the middle-overs phase tends to be where matches here are won and lost. Punjab Kings' 83 runs for 2 wickets in that phase confirmed that pattern.
How to watch
IPL matches are available to UK viewers on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go, and non-subscribers can access coverage through a NOW TV day or month pass. Indian Premier League fixtures typically start at 15:30 or 19:30 India Standard Time, which translates to 11:00 or 15:00 BST respectively. Meaning afternoon and early evening slots for UK audiences. Check Sky Sports' schedule for confirmed coverage times around each match.
Recent form
Going into 1 May 2024, Chennai Super Kings had won three of their previous five fixtures, with victories over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders offset by back-to-back defeats to Lucknow Super Giants. They were a side in middling form, and a home match against Punjab Kings looked like a reasonable opportunity to stabilise.
Punjab Kings, by contrast, had won just one of their previous five matches before this fixture, with defeats against Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their win here against CSK bucked a difficult run of results. Given the head-to-head record sat at 16 wins each across 33 meetings before this match, Punjab Kings' recent form at Chepauk in particular. Three wins in the last five meetings at that ground. May have offered some clue that they were capable of performing here when it mattered.
