A star cricketer, Virat Kohli readies for an on-field return after celebrating new fatherhood. However, his performance record at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, where RCB clashes against CSK, remains unimpressive. Modest numbers could greet his comeback at this ground.
Virat Kohli just produced a fighting fifty at the stadium in a difficult ODI World Cup league-stage match against Australia, and he hopes to carry that form into the 2024 IPL.
Kohli has played 12 matches at the stadium in 16 IPL seasons, accumulating 363 runs at an average of 30.17 and a strike rate of 111.38. Despite being a competent spinner, the right-handed batsman has struggled to establish himself at the Chepauk, scoring 50 runs only twice in a decade.
Virat Kohli’s misery at the venue mirrors RCB’s experience there, where they have suffered several heartbreaking defeats, notably the 2011 final against MS Dhoni and Co.
RCB did win three consecutive matches at the stadium when the league was staged in a caravan-style format during the COVID-induced 2021 season, which also marked Kohli’s final appearance at the Chepauk in the IPL.
Although Virat Kohli’s run total isn’t very spectacular, his strike rate is more worrying. In only one of his 12 efforts, he achieved a strike rate of more than 125.
Furthermore, the previous time CSK and RCB began an IPL season in Chennai, he was removed for six runs off 12 deliveries, his second-lowest score at the venue.
“Playing against Chennai is obviously always a special occasion, a big game” – Virat Kohli
Despite his terrible record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the former RCB captain had a respectable overall record versus the defending champions. He has nine fifties in 30 innings against the franchise since 2008.
“Playing against Chennai is obviously always a special occasion, a big game. You know, the Southern Derby as they call it. Yeah, it’s nice to play in front of very passionate Chennai fans and yeah, good to catch up with MS Dhoni, it’s been a while.”
Virat Kohli
With many doubts about his playing style in the shortest format as well as his batting position in the run-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, it would be intriguing to observe how Kohli performs at the Chepauk, which is not dissimilar to the conditions in the Caribbean.