Match overview
Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on 28 April 2024. CSK posted 212/3 from their 20 overs after Sunrisers Hyderabad chose to field following the toss. In reply, SRH were bowled out for 134 and never seriously threatened the target. RD Gaikwad was the standout performer for Chennai and took the Player of the Match award. The result was largely settled by the midpoint of SRH's chase, with the required run rate climbing well beyond reach.
CSK's innings was built methodically. Fifty runs came inside the powerplay for the loss of one wicket, and the middle overs were where the innings really took shape: 98 runs at a cost of just one wicket between overs 7 and 15. A brisk death phase of 64 runs from the final five overs lifted the total to 212/3, one of the stronger first-innings scores this Chepauk surface has produced in recent IPL seasons.
Sunrisers began their chase brightly enough, reaching 53 inside the powerplay, but the cost of 3 wickets in those six overs left their middle order exposed far too early. From the seventh over onwards, the required rate was already beyond 14 runs per over, and SRH's batting never found the consistency to challenge it. Five wickets fell in the death overs for just 25 runs, and the innings folded at 134 all out.
Venue and conditions
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium has hosted 127 T20 matches, making it one of the more data-rich venues in the IPL. The average first-innings score is 192, and CSK's 212 cleared that comfortably. The average second-innings score of 177 tells a similar story: scoring 213 is within the range of Chepauk chases in theory, but the ground's actual chase success rate is only 46%, meaning teams batting first win just over half the time.
Powerplays at Chepauk average 43 runs, so both sides broadly performed in line with the norm in the first six overs. The death-overs average of 38 runs makes CSK's 64 at the death particularly notable, as they extracted significantly more than typical from those final five overs. The pitch tends to encourage spin in the middle phase, and Chennai's bowling attack is well suited to exploiting that at their home ground.
SRH won the toss and elected to field. The toss-field rate at Chepauk sits at 41%, suggesting most sides who have the choice prefer to bat here. On this occasion, that instinct proved well founded, and Sunrisers were left chasing a total that the ground's conditions were unlikely to help them overhaul.
How to watch
IPL matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Matches typically start in the late afternoon or early evening UK time, with the primary India broadcast window running from approximately 15:30 to 16:00 BST. Subscribers can access coverage via Sky Go on mobile and desktop devices, or through a NOW TV pass for those without a full Sky subscription.
Recent form
Heading into this fixture, Chennai Super Kings' form had been mixed. Their five most recent results included two defeats to Lucknow Super Giants and a loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, offset by wins over Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. A home win over SRH provided a timely confidence boost given that run.
Sunrisers arrived at Chepauk in considerably stronger form. Four wins from their previous five matches, including victories over Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Punjab Kings, had established them as one of the in-form sides in the tournament. That momentum made their 78-run defeat all the more striking, and the manner of the collapse in the chase raises questions about how SRH's batting holds up against disciplined spin bowling on a responsive surface. The two sides are scheduled to meet again in the 2025 IPL season, where the head-to-head record and Chepauk's conditions will once again be central factors.
