IPL 2026: Home vs. Away - Which Side Won the Last Five Openers?

Ahead of the season opener, let us check out which side has had the upper hand

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is knocking on our door with the first game scheduled to be played between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Currently, it is very difficult to predict which team will win, as the teams have undergone some changes, leaving everyone uncertain about what strategies will be effective.

However, we can check how the first games in the last five seasons panned out for the home and away sides. Did the home side win or the away side? Let’s check out.

KKR vs. RCB

Last season, the first game of the 2025 season was between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. Being the defending champions, KKR posted 174 runs on the board, but RCB chased it with seven wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare. The away side won the season opener.

RCB vs. CSK

In 2024, the season opener was played between RCB and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). RCB had batted first and posted a target of 173 runs on the board. However, Chennai at home chased the target with six wickets and eight balls to spare. The home side emerged victorious in the first game that season.

CSK vs. GT

2023’s first game saw CSK and the Gujarat Titans (GT) clash in Ahmedabad. GT successfully chased down the target of 178 runs set by CSK, completing the innings in 19.2 overs with five wickets remaining. Once again, it was the home side that enjoyed an advantage and won the season opener.

RCB vs. CSK

From 2023 on, we go back to 2019 because the season openers and the majority of matches in 2022, 2021, and 2020 were played in neutral locations due to the pandemic.

In 2019, the season opener was played on Chennai’s home soil, and CSK produced one of its best performances ever, restricting RCB to merely 70 runs. CSK won the game by seven wickets and 14 balls to spare.

MI vs. CSK

Last but not least, the Mumbai Indians (MI) met CSK at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the season opener. It was a close game, but the visiting team, CSK, won by 1 wicket.

Of the above five openers, the home side won three times, while the visiting team won twice. Past results show that the home side always enjoys an advantage, but there are times when the visiting side causes an upset, even in the first game of the season, despite playing on a field with little to no support and even when the pitch conditions may not be favourable.

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