Teams face up to home truths in first half of IPL 2025 – The Rising Nepal

ESPN CRICINFO
By Omkar Mankame, April 21 (ESPN CRICINFO): With the second half of IPL 2025 underway, it’s a good time to assess which teams have turned their home venues into fortresses, and which ones haven’t quite been able to make the most of that perceived advantage.
Chennai Super Kings (10th)
Won: 1, Lost: 3
(Beat MI; Lost to DC, RCB, KKR)
A team renowned for making the most of home conditions, CSK got off to an ideal start at Chepauk, brushing aside MI with Noor Ahmad weaving his magic. However, things went south with the franchise slipping to three successive home defeats. The loss to RCB stung the most. Head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t hold back in criticising the pitch, which seemed to aid seamers more than spinners. Against KKR, they registered their lowest-ever IPL score at home. Away from Chepauk, they have won one and lost three.
Delhi Capitals (2nd)
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat SRH, LSG, RR; Lost to MI)
DC played their first two home games in Visakhapatnam, where Ashutosh Sharma’s late-innings heroics helped pull off a stunning heist against LSG, before Mitchell Starc powered them to a commanding win over SRH. After arriving in Delhi, DC had their first defeat of the season, falling to MI in a match which ended with a hat-trick of run-outs. The thrills at home continued, as DC edged past RR in the season’s first Super Over, with Tristan Stubbs smacking the match-winning six. In away conditions, they had picked up two wins before losing to GT in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans (1st)
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat MI, RR, DC; Lost to PBKS)
GT’s home ground in Ahmedabad offers two types of pitches – red soil and black soil – and they have used this smartly to outplay their opponents. Against MI, who are accustomed to red-soil pitches in Mumbai, GT opted for a black-soil surface. They switched back to a red-soil track against RR, where their seamers came into their own. Their only home defeat came in their opening match, when PBKS scored 243 for 5 and GT fell short by 11 runs. Outside Ahmedabad, they have logged two wins and a defeat.
Kolkata Knight Riders (7th)
Won: 1, Lost: 2
(Beat SRH, Lost to RCB, LSG)
The surface at Eden Gardens was in the spotlight in the opening week. The pitch for the season opener against RCB backfired, prompting captain Ajinkya Rahane to call for a slower surface that would suit their spinners better. They steamrolled a struggling SRH in their next home fixture, but the track laid out for the game against LSG once again drew post-match remarks from Rahane, who hinted it wasn’t what the team had asked for. In a high-scoring shootout – 238 playing 234 – KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine went wicketless. Their away record has been mixed, with two wins from four matches.
Lucknow Super Giants (5th)
Won: 2, Lost: 2
(Beat MI, GT, Lost to PBKS, CSK)
LSG were left frustrated with the surface served up in their defeat at home to PBKS. Mentor Zaheer Khan even quipped that it felt like the opposition had brought their own curator to prepare the pitch. But LSG eventually got their wish for slower tracks, and a combination of sharp bowling and top-order brilliance helped them notch up two successive home wins. However, CSK turned the tables on them, with their spinners restricting LSG to an under-par total. On the road, though, LSG have enjoyed themselves, winning three out of their four away games.
Mumbai Indians (6th)
Won: 3, Lost: 1
(Beat KKR, SRH, CSK; Lost to RCB)
At Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya won all four tosses and chose to chase, banking on the venue’s historical bias towards teams batting second. Against KKR, SRH and CSK, MI eased home by first restricting their opponents to under-par totals and then hunting them down with comfort. For the game against RCB, they rolled out a rock-hard surface, and in a high-scoring shootout that produced 430 runs across 40 overs, MI came off second best. Away from Mumbai, MI have struggled, managing just one win in four games.
Punjab Kings (4th)
Won: 2, Lost: 2
(Beat CSK, KKR; Lost to RR, RCB)
After two away wins on the bounce, PBKS were blown away by RR in their first home game. Then, in a bizarre contest against CSK, where five of PBKS’ top six failed to reach double-figures, Priyansh Arya’s maiden century set up their victory. PBKS made history in their next home fixture, defending just 111 against KKR – the lowest successful defence in IPL history. In their last game in New Chandigarh, RCB’s spinners stifled the hosts. PBKS will now shift base to Dharamsala for the remainder of their home games. On the road, they have fared well, winning three of their four matches so far.
Rajasthan Royals (8th)
Won: 1, Lost: 3
(Beat CSK; Lost to KKR, RCB, LSG)
RR have struggled to build momentum this season, scoring just two wins in eight matches – one at home and one away. Their lone home win came in Guwahati against CSK, driven by Nitish Rana’s blistering knock, after they had opened their campaign with a heavy defeat against KKR. In Jaipur, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli chased down 174 with ease, while Avesh Khan’s brilliant end-overs spell consigned RR to a defeat in a game they seemed poised to win. Their away record has been equally patchy, with three losses, including a Super Over loss to DC.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (3rd)
Won: 0, Lost: 3
(Lost to PBKS, DC, GT)
RCB remain the only team yet to register a home win this season. They have lost all three tosses at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and were asked to bat first each time – a tricky proposition at a venue with short boundaries. In their opener, they were undone by former team man Mohammed Siraj, while Karnataka’s own KL Rahul lit up his “home” ground to hand them a second defeat. Their third loss came in a rain-shortened, low-scoring affair against PBKS. While their home form has been a concern, RCB have been flawless on the road, winning all their away games so far.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (9th)
Won: 2, Lost: 2
(Beat RR, PBKS; Lost to LSG, GT)
SRH were sparkling in their season opener at home, racking up 286 for 6 amid talk of the IPL’s first-ever 300 being within reach. But the 2024 runners-up were soon caught out by their own conditions, suffering heavy defeats to LSG and GT on slower Hyderabad tracks. They bounced back in style against PBKS, with Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 141 off 55 balls powering a successful chase of 246. SRH are yet to register a win outside Hyderabad this season.
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