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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the second most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise has a massive following not just from the locals but from the world at large, thanks to the charismatic personality of their longest-serving captain MS Dhoni.
CSK don't like to shuffle their core squad until they are forced to release players ahead of the mega IPL auction that takes place every four years. Between 2018 and 2022, Chennai backed many players above the age of 30, considering their extensive experience with the game.
The franchise earned the label of 'Dad's Army' for their over-reliance on senior players. However, the fact that CSK won two titles in the same period vindicated their selection strategy.
The four-time IPL champions retained 18 players ahead of the 2023 mini-auction and purchased only seven players who went under the hammer. CSK don't give up on their players because of a few rough games or even an abysmal season.
Many iconic players have donned the yellow shirt in the past 13 seasons. Suresh Raina (5528) and Dwayne Bravo (183) are the leading run-scorers and wicket-takers of CSK respectively. And Ravindra Jadeja's 37-run over against RCB's Harshal Patel is one of the best moments in IPL history.
However, some players have also disappointed in some seasons (like 2020 and 2022), while others have not been able to match the team's level of expectations. Here, we look at three big players who failed to perform for the Yellow Army and didn't get a longer run with the Chennai outfit.
#1 Stephen Fleming
The former New Zealand captain was among the top five signings made by CSK for the inaugural edition. Fleming was signed for USD 3,50,000 by CSK for IPL 2008.
He didn't feature in the first four games for the Chennai-based franchise, but later replaced Matthew Hayden in the line-up.
Fleming amassed 196 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 118.79, with his best knock of 45 off 40 coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. There were only a couple of instances when Fleming crossed 40.
Fleming was unavailable to play in the knockout fixtures of IPL 2008 as he returned to New Zealand for the birth of his child.
That was the only IPL season for Fleming as a player, as he was appointed CSK's head coach in 2009. Since then, he has cemented his role in parallel to skipper Dhoni.
#2 Andrew Flintoff
The star England all-rounder was bought for a whopping sum of $1.55 million during the 2009 IPL auctions. It was the joint-highest bid at the time, with Flintoff's then-England teammate Kevin Pietersen fetching the same amount from RCB.
However, Flintoff had a forgettable season as he played only three matches for the MS Dhoni-led side.
Playing in his first IPL match against the Mumbai Indians in Cape Town, Flintoff was taken to the cleaners by Abhishek Nayar. The southpaw smashed three sixes in the 18th over bowled by Flintoff, who conceded 44 runs from his full quota and picked up just one wicket.
With the bat, Flintoff added 24 runs in the 166-run chase before being dismissed by Harbhajan Singh.
He had a great outing against RCB in Port Elizabeth, smashing 22 off 13 and accounting for figures of 1/11 from three overs, which resulted in CSK securing victory by 92 runs. But the Englishman again went for 50 runs from four overs with no wickets against Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals). And while chasing 190 in the second innings, he scored 16 runs from 17 balls, with CSK eventually falling nine runs short of the target.
That proved to be Flintoff's last appearance in the cash-rich T20 league.
#3 Piyush Chawla
Based on his consistency with Punjab and Kolkata, Piyush Chawla was bought for INR 6.75 crore by CSK for the 2020 season. As coach Stephen Fleming later revealed, Chawla's relationship with Dhoni persuaded them to sign the deal.
But while he started his stint for CSK with 1/21 versus MI, including the big wicket of Rohit Sharma, Chawla conceded 55 runs from four overs against the Rajasthan Royals in the next game.
Royals batters Sanju Samson and Steve Smith hammered Chawla for a total of six maximums in his first couple of overs. The leg-spinner conceded 28 runs in his first over itself.
In a game where Sanju Samson recorded the joint-fastest IPL fifty in the UAE off just 19 balls, Chawla conceded the same number of runs in 18 balls (three overs).
The 34-year-old picked up six wickets in seven matches altogether that season, at an average of 31.83 and an economy rate of 9.10.
Chawla is still the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL overall - 157 wickets at 27.39, despite missing the 2022 season.
