It is named after former BCCI president M. A. Chidambaram, and is operated by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

The stadium hosted its first one day international match between India and Australia during the 1987 Cricket World Cup.

[10] It subsequently hosted the first match of the inaugural Ranji Trophy between Madras and Mysore in November of the same year.

[8][10][11] In 1946, first attempts were made to build a larger stadium by Anthony De Mello, which was accepted by the MCC subject to the approval of the Indian government.

However, the MCC was reluctant to loan the use of the ground, fearing that regular use would lead to deterioration of the facilities.

[7] When the 30-year lease of the stadium held by the MCC ended in 1966, the MCA obtained the least from the Madras government.

[8][10] The stadium hosted its first one day international match between India and Australia during the 1987 Cricket World Cup.

[16] A major reconstruction work was undertaken at the cost of ₹1.75 billion (US$20 million) in 2010 ahead of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

[16] On 31 March 2015, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the renovation violated regulations relating to public safety.

[22][23] The court further ruled that the parts of the renovation which violate the regulations must be demolished and ordered the new stands to be sealed then.

[29] The renovations were done at a cost of ₹1.39 billion (US$16 million) and following its completion, the permanent seating capacity of the stadium expanded to 38,000.

[28][30][31] The new stand which housed the Anna Pavilion was named after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and was inaugurated on 17 March 2023.