The 18th edition of Indian Premier League this year is generating excitement and buzz already, with franchises currently underway with their preparations and strategies. Last season, Kolkata Knight Riders created history by winning the IPL 2024 trophy after an entire decade, defeating the show-stunners Sunrisers Hyderabad in a nail-biting match.
However, the home ground of Chennai Super Kings, MA. Chidambaram Chepauk Stadium also added another feather to its cap. Chepauk became the first stadium in the country where the greatest number of IPL final matches have been played till date.
Here we have listed the top five stadiums that have played host to these exciting finals in every IPL season, whether in India or internationally.
1. Chepauk Stadium – (03)– Chepauk Stadium, also called as the MA Chidambaram Stadium became the first venue to script history and host not one, but three IPL finals, which is the highest number of finals to be played in a single stadium. This was the first time that an IPL final was played in Chepauk, and the CSK team was not a part of it. The clashes of IPL 2011 and 2012 finals were also held here. Chennai Super Kings became the winner in 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In 2012, Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR tasted success and became champions for the first time by defeating Chennai at their home ground.
2. DY Patil Stadium – (02) – This ground is a second home to the Mumbai Indias and hosted the IPL Finals twice in 2008 when Rajasthan Royals won the opening season and secondly when CSK beat the home-team in 2010. DY Patil stadium is situated in Navi Mumbai and is one of the biggest stadiums in terms of the seating capacity.
3. Eden Gardens – (02) – The stadium that resonates with the theme of ‘Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo’ is the home-ground of Kolkata Knight Riders, but they have never played a final here. This ground has hosted two IPL finals again, in 2013 and 2015. On both occasions, Mumbai Indians emerged as winners and defeated Chennai Super Kings on this iconic landmark in the city of joy.
4. Chinnaswamy Stadium– (02) – This stadium in Bengaluru is home to the RCB team and has hosted two IPL finals yet again. The ultimate matches of the 2014 and 2016 seasons were played here; wherein KKR defeated Punjab Kings in the former one and Sunrisers clinched victory over the home team in 2016.
5. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium – (02)– The expansive stadium based in the hi-tech city of Hyderabad has hosted two finals of the IPL editions in 2017 and 2019. During both the penultimate matches, Mumbai Indians emerged as winners and defeated their opponents Rising Pune Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings respectively.
Adding to this list, the Dubai International Stadium also hosted the IPL finals for two seasons, when the entire league was shifted outside India to UAE, during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. These finals were hosted in 2020 and 2021 consecutively for two seasons, wherein Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings emerged as winners in the respective years.
The Narendra Modi stadium, located in Ahmedabad has also hosted the IPL Finals for two years one after the other, in 2022 and 2023 with Gujarat Titans claiming their first title on their home ground and losing the second one to Dhoni’s CSK. It is apt to say that cricket is a religion in India, and these stadiums are certainly the crowd-magnets that have an electrifying energy to attract thousands of IPL enthusiasts year on year.
By: Tulika Agarwal
