Match overview
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on 24 May 2024. SRH batted first after Rajasthan won the toss and chose to field, posting 175/9 across their 20 overs. Rajasthan's reply never truly threatened; they lost 5 wickets in the middle overs for 51 runs and finished on 139/7. Shahbaz Ahmed was named Player of the Match for his contributions with both bat and ball.
Rajasthan's decision to field first looked manageable in the early stages of the chase: their powerplay of 51/1 kept them in contact. But the middle-phase collapse, from which they never recovered, settled the game well before the final over. SRH's 36-run margin was a fair reflection of the gap between the two sides on the night.
Venue and conditions
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium has hosted 127 T20 matches at this ground. The average first-innings score here sits at 192, which puts SRH's 175/9 slightly below par. However, the average second-innings score of 177 shows that chasing sides face consistent pressure, and Rajasthan's 139/7 fell well short even of that lower benchmark.
The powerplay data is worth examining. Chepauk's average powerplay score is 43 runs; SRH's 68 in the first six overs was well above that figure. That early acceleration effectively compressed the margins Rajasthan had to work with. In the death overs, both sides were broadly in line with the venue's average of 38, SRH scoring 43 and Rajasthan 37, so the damage was done in the phases before that.
The toss did Rajasthan few favours in the abstract: only 41% of toss winners at this ground choose to field, and the chase success rate stands at 46%. The surface here tends to grip and slow as the match progresses, making the second innings incrementally harder to negotiate. Spin has traditionally done well at Chepauk, and the middle-overs phase where Rajasthan lost their way reflects that pattern.
How to watch
IPL matches are available in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming through Sky Go and NOW TV for subscribers. Given the time difference between the UK and India, most IPL evening matches begin in the early-to-mid afternoon UK time. Sky's coverage usually starts shortly before the toss.
For fans who prefer radio, BBC Test Match Special does not typically cover IPL fixtures, but updates are available through BBC Sport online. Highlights and short-form content also appear on the official IPL app and JioCinema's international feeds, though geo-restrictions may apply.
Recent form
Heading into this fixture, Sunrisers Hyderabad had won three of their previous five matches in the 2024 IPL season: victories over Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants were offset by defeats to Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. A win over Rajasthan in this run of five underlines how SRH had already established themselves as a difficult opponent for this particular side.
Rajasthan's recent form made for harder reading. They arrived at Chennai having lost four of their last five matches, with only a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore as relief. Defeats to Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and SRH themselves compounded the pressure ahead of this game. That run of results, combined with the demands of chasing at Chepauk, left Rajasthan with little room for error. They found none.
