Match overview
Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 4 wickets at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on 30 April 2025, chasing down a target of 191 to finish on 194/6. SS Iyer was named Player of the Match. Punjab won the toss and chose to field, a decision that looked uncertain when CSK built 134/4 through the middle overs, but 6 late wickets for 56 runs kept the target within reach. Punjab then posted 51 runs in the powerplay for just 1 wicket and never truly looked back, scoring 88 more in the middle phase before sealing it in the final overs with 4 wickets to spare.
The result tips the all-time head-to-head record in Punjab's favour for the first time. The sides had met 33 times previously and were locked at 16 wins apiece. Punjab now lead 17-16, and they have won four of the last five encounters between these two sides, three of them at this very ground.
For Chennai, it is a fifth defeat in their last six matches and the pressure on their playoff position is growing. Their middle-overs batting was excellent, but the collapse from 134/4 to 190 all out in the death phase will concern their management more than the result itself.
Venue and conditions
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium has hosted 127 T20 matches and the numbers tell a consistent story: the side batting first holds an advantage. The average first-innings score across those matches is 192, marginally higher than CSK's eventual 190. The average second-innings score is 177, which means Punjab's 194/6 was 17 runs above the historical norm for sides chasing here.
The venue's chase success rate sits at 46 per cent, below the coin-flip mark, which reflects how the pitch tends to play through the night as dew and surface wear interact differently across the two innings. The average powerplay score at Chepauk is 43 runs. Punjab's 51 in their powerplay surpassed that and set the platform for their chase. Teams opt to field here only 41 per cent of the time, so Punjab's toss decision was against the statistical grain. Though their eventual win suggests it was judged correctly on the day.
Death overs at this ground average 38 runs across 4 overs. Both sides beat that figure comfortably, with CSK scoring 56 in their death phase and Punjab 55. It was a high-scoring, fast-paced encounter throughout, with neither side's attack getting much help in the final quarter of either innings.
How to watch
The IPL is broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. All matches are also available to stream through Sky Go and NOW TV for viewers without a full Sky package. Most IPL fixtures during this part of the tournament begin in the early-to-mid afternoon BST, so UK fans can follow along without a late night. Check the Sky Sports schedule for exact start times as they can shift by competition format and broadcasters' arrangements.
Recent form
Chennai Super Kings arrived at this fixture in poor shape. Their last five results before the game read: loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, loss to Mumbai Indians, win against Lucknow Super Giants, loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, loss to Punjab Kings. Only one win in five made this a must-improve fixture even before the result, and defeat here extends that winless run to two from two against Punjab this season.
Punjab Kings' form was only marginally better. They had a no-result against Kolkata Knight Riders, then lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore before back-to-back wins against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. A loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad preceded this match. Their win at Chepauk was therefore the third victory in their last four completed results, and arguably their most significant scalp given CSK's home record at this venue. Both sides enter the next phase of the tournament with reasons for optimism and concern in roughly equal measure.
