MA Chidambaram Stadium: All about the venue of opening MI vs RCB IPL 2021 match

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) will get underway on Friday, April 9. As per the IPL schedule, the tournament opener will be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The venue for the high-voltage MI vs RCB match is the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

MI vs RCB: MA Chidambaram Stadium and its history

Notably, the IPL 2021 will be played in an unusual way as the Governing Council decided to eliminate the home advantage by organising matches at neutral venues to reduce travel amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, Mumbai Indians will play their first five IPL 2021 matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which also happens to be the home venue of their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. Ahead of the much-awaited MI vs RCB clash, let's take a look at a few important details about the venue.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium was formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground and it has a capacity of 50,000. The iconic venue was renamed after the former President of BCCI and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, MA Chidambaram. Established in 1916, the ground is one of the oldest cricketing grounds in the country. MA Chidambaram Stadium is also known as Chepauk because of the area in which it is based.

Since IPL's inception back in 2008, the venue has become the home stadium for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. The stadium is CSK's fortress as their record here is sensational and the venue has hosted a total of 49 IPL games. Notably, CSK won't be playing in Chennai during the IPL 2021 which will make things difficult for them as they are used to play on Chepauk surfaces.

How does the MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch behave?

The games at the venue are generally low-scoring ones. Spinners love bowling here as there is ample turn and bounce for them. Batsmen find it difficult to get going on the surfaces here, however, once they settle at the crease, run-scoring becomes a little easier. Pacers also get a little assistance here. Both MI and RCB have quality spinners within their ranks and considering the history of this surface, the teams are likely to play two spinners.

CSK last played at the venue in IPL 2019. Over the years, MA Chidambaram has been a host to some thrilling and memorable contests. During the IPL 2019, CSK played out one such nail-biting game against RCB. Batting first, the Virat Kohli-led RCB posted 161/7. In response, CSK got off to a horrendous start and were reeling at 28-4.

That's when captain MS Dhoni came to the crease and played with patience while wickets kept tumbling at the other end. CSK needed 26 runs in the last over and Dhoni showed his finishing skills as he smashed Umesh Yadav for three sixes and one four. with just two runs needed off the final ball, Dhoni missed the ball and while trying to steal a single, Shardul Thakur was run out as CSK lost the game by just 1 run.

The IPL 2021 opening encounter between Mumbai and Bangalore is also expected to be an exciting contest. Both sides are filled with some of the best T20 players in the world, which is why fans are in for an exciting contest.

IPL schedule

SOURCE: CSK TWITTER