From Chepauk to Eden Gardens: Does home advantage even exist in the IPL?

NEW DELHI: No matter the sport, the concept and idea of home advantage makes a difference to a team. There is a sense and reasonable argument behind the idea: the home team understands the conditions, understands the surface, has vehement fan support and these factors can make a difference between winning and losing.
The phenomenon holds true across sports and was the factor behind Barcelona's monumental 38-game winning streak at home in the UEFA Champions League, a run that spanned seven years. It was also a central factor behind Oklahoma City Thunder topping the NBA Western Conference in 2024-25 as they stitched a 35-6 win-loss record at home - the best in the league.
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But when it comes to cricket, though, the concept of home advantage gets a little foggy.

Sure, India had a run of 18 consecutive Test series won at home, a run that began in 2013 and was shattered by New Zealand last year. During that jaw-dropping feat, India won 42 matches, lost four and drew six. The Men in Blue also hold the record for the longest home streak in T20Is, going 17 series unbeaten from 2019 to now.

Some of the factors that tip the scale towards the home side in international cricket are: familiarity with the stadiums and the conditions; knowledge of the pitch and ability to dictate things; ability to stay with friends/family instead of hotels and last, but not the least, backing of a passionate crowd.
But these factors don't necessarily hold true when it comes to franchise T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL). With local, Indian and international players making up the squads, most of these factors are nullified.
HOME RECORD IN IPL 2025

Yet, there are the likes of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians who have strong home records. CSK made

Chepauk

their fortress with 72 wins out of 113 played, a win-loss record of 1.800. Then there are fellow five-time IPL champions MI who have won 68 of 115 home matches, a win-loss record of 1.478.
This year, though, CSK have had a year to forget - in general and at home. On April 25, as they went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad, it accounted for their fifth defeat at MA Chidambaram Stadium. They've never lost more at home in a single season.
After their thumping against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28, coach Stephen Fleming argued they're not getting any 'home advantage'.

"Well, as we've been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We haven't been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. So, it's not new. We are trying to come to grips each day with what we get, and we don't know."
The gripe with home surface isn't new and Fleming certainly wasn't the only voice that had criticism for the curators. Ajinkya Rahane, Zaheer Khan and Chandrakant Pandit all questioned the lack of support for home teams from the curators. Cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull went to the extent of suggesting that defending champions KKR should move away from the

Eden Gardens

if the curator doesn't pay heed.
KKR's home record this season hasn't been great. They've played five at Eden Gardens, winning just one and losing three with one getting rained off. With two home matches remaining, and IPL playoff chances on the line, they would hope for a turn in fortunes starting Sunday against Rajasthan Royals.
TEAMS AT HOME IN IPL 2025

The rules, however, don't allow franchises to dictate the condition of the surface. As franchises only take the grounds on loan from the BCCI, they have no say on how the surface should be prepared.
"A BCCI curator is not accountable to any franchise. There is no clear guidelines as such from the BCCI also," a source close to developments on the ground told TimesofIndia.com. "There's been no meeting of curators since long (time).
"The franchise(s) do love to put blame on the curators. Instead of blaming the curators, they should see the quality of cricket they are playing.

"The franchises play at a certain venue for two months but forget that entire year there is a BCCI tournament (different age-groups) are happening. If not BCCI then state association play their leagues, conduct camps and other stuff.
"The curators are following the guidelines that has been made by former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh three decades ago...," added the source.
CSK AT HOME IN IPL 2025

Gujarat Titans COO Colonel Arvinder Singh questioned the point of the discussion around surfaces when the rules are crystal clear.
"The rules of the game are very clear and they are common for everybody. No franchise has any right to say, 'I want this kind of a pitch'. That's not something that the rules allow you to do," he told TimesofIndia.com.
"The home advantage has to stem from the fact that that is your home. You are supposed to know those conditions better than anybody else who's coming because that is where you play most of your games, where you practice. So from that perspective, if you're looking at a home advantage, well, why not? You deserve all the home advantage that you can take.

"To say that I need home advantage because I want this kind of a pitch. Sorry, I don't think that cuts any ice with anybody," he added.
Then there are question marks over the ethics of the sport if the surfaces are skewed towards a certain team or certain style of play.
"What's the point of playing if the conditions are just going to be the same?," questioned South Africa and Gujarat Titans seamer Kagiso Rabada in an exclusive conversation with TimesofIndia.com.

This IPL season, in the 50 matches played until Mumbai Indians' win over Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on May 1, only 20 were won by the home side. Of the remaining matches, 28 have gone the visiting team's way with one, between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals being decided in a Super Over, and one match getting washed out.
There's still some matches to go before the IPL 2025 playoffs kick in but this year is not a one-off in seeing home sides struggle. During IPL 2023, of the 74 matches, 29 were won by the hosts while 44 went the away side's way. And then in IPL 2022, there were 34 home wins and 40 away wins across the 74 matches.
Conversely, IPL 2018 followed the opposite script. In the 60 matches that season, 38 were won by home teams and 22 by the visitors. The balance was tipped last year as well with 42 home wins and 29 away wins in 72 matches.