What is Virat Kohli's IPL record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai?

Ace batter Virat Kohli is all set to make his return to cricket after a brief absence to attend the birth of his second child. However, it might not be the ideal venue for his comeback considering his modest record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are scheduled to face the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

It was not long ago when Kohli scored a fighting fifty at the venue in a tense ODI World Cup league-stage encounter against Australia, and he will hope to bring some of that form into the 2024 IPL as well.

Across 16 editions of the IPL, Kohli has played 12 matches at the venue, scoring 363 runs at an average of 30.17 and a strike rate of 111.38. Despite being a reasonable player of spin, the right-handed batter has struggled to assert himself at the Chepauk, crossing the 50-run mark only twice, a decade ago.

Kohli's misfortune at the venue matches RCB's stint at the ground as well, where they have endured some harrowing losses, including the 2011 final against MS Dhoni & Co.

RCB did win three matches on the trot at the stadium when the league was held in a caravan-style fashion during the COVID-induced 2021 edition, which also marks the last time Kohli played at the Chepauk in the IPL.

Although Kohli's run-tally is far from impressive, the more concerning factor is his strike rate. He has only recorded a strike rate of over 125 on one instance out of 12 attempts.

Furthermore, the last time CSK and RCB kickstarted an IPL season in Chennai, he was dismissed for six runs off 12 deliveries, which is his second-lowest score at the stadium.

"Playing against Chennai is obviously always a special occasion, a big game" - Virat Kohli

The former RCB skipper does have a decent overall record against the defending champions despite a poor record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He has scored 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," Kohli said in a video released by RCB.

With a lot of questions surrounding his playing style in the shortest format as well as his batting position in the lead-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Kohli fares at the Chepauk, which is not a lot different from the conditions in the Caribbean.