Chinnaswamy's 8.6% Six Rate Is the Highest in the IPL — Bengaluru's Elevation Advantage
8.6% of All Deliveries Go for Six at Chinnaswamy
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has the highest six rate of any major IPL venue: 8.6% of all legal deliveries are hit for six. At 920 meters above sea level, Bengaluru's altitude thins the air enough to carry the ball further, and the relatively short boundaries compound the effect.
Across 19 matches from 2023-2025, the average total at Chinnaswamy is 184.4 — 4.4 above league average. But raw scoring doesn't capture Chinnaswamy's true identity. This is a venue defined by how runs are scored, not just how many.
The Six vs Four Economy
While Chinnaswamy leads the IPL in six rate (8.6%), its four rate (13.0%) sits mid-table. Compare that to Eden Gardens, which has a higher four rate (14.5%) but a comparable six rate (8.7%). Or Hyderabad, which leads the league in fours (14.6%) but trails in sixes (7.7%).
| Venue | 4 Rate | 6 Rate | Boundary% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinnaswamy | 13.0% | 8.6% | 21.6% |
| Eden Gardens | 14.5% | 8.7% | 23.2% |
| Hyderabad | 14.6% | 7.7% | 22.3% |
| Chepauk | 11.3% | 5.2% | 16.5% |
Chinnaswamy doesn't produce the most boundaries overall — Eden Gardens and Hyderabad both have higher boundary percentages. What Chinnaswamy produces is a disproportionate number of sixes relative to fours. The six-to-four ratio at Chinnaswamy (0.66) is the highest in the IPL.
The implication: Chinnaswamy rewards pure power hitting over timing and placement. Batters who can generate bat speed and loft the ball — Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar in recent years — thrive here. Touch players who rely on steering and guiding the ball find their boundary options more limited.
The Death Phase at 920 Meters
In the death overs (16-20), Chinnaswamy's six rate climbs to extraordinary levels. The combination of thin air, dew on the ball, and tired bowlers makes the last five overs a six-hitting exhibition. The death-over run rate of 10.88 ranks third among major IPL venues.
The dot ball percentage at Chinnaswamy (32.9%) sits near the league average, which means bowlers aren't being scored off every ball — they're being scored off in large chunks. The feast-or-famine nature of batting here creates volatile scorecards: games at Chinnaswamy tend to produce either dominant performances or collapses, rarely steady accumulation.
Toss Dynamics: Slight Bat-First Edge
Chinnaswamy has a 53% bat-first win rate, with teams winning the toss choosing to field 58% of the time. The data suggests captains consistently overvalue the dew factor and undervalue the advantage of setting a total on a pitch that doesn't deteriorate.
Dew does arrive at Chinnaswamy — the second-innings powerplay run rate can be elevated — but the pitch stays consistent enough that first-innings totals are defensible. The 184.4 average means teams batting first typically post competitive scores that stretch chasing efforts.
12.5 Wickets Per Match: Not Just a Batting Track
At 12.5 wickets per match, Chinnaswamy sits slightly above the league average. This contradicts the perception of a pure batting paradise. The same conditions that help sixes — thin air, true bounce — also help pace bowlers extract carry and bounce. Genuine pace is rewarded here. Bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, and Mohammed Siraj have produced match-winning spells at Chinnaswamy.
The venue punishes medium pace and military medium more than any other ground. Without genuine speed or sharp spin, bowlers become boundary fodder. Chinnaswamy is a venue of extremes — elite bowling succeeds, everything else gets launched.