IPL 2018: 5 CSK finds who went on to play for India

The IPL each year gives us two months of non-stop cricket entertainment that involves stupendous on-field performances which catch the eye. The league serves as a platform for talented Indian cricketers to showcase their ability and push their case for a call to the national team.

Several players have used their IPL stints to good effect and made their way into the national squad. Chennai Super Kings, arguably the most consistent of all franchises across the first decade, gave their players an ideal platform. With former India captain MS Dhoni, former Chief Selector Kris Srikkanth and former President of the BCCI N. Srinivasan at their helm of affairs, CSK served as a perfect launchpad for the Indian team.

Here are five such players who made it to the Indian team because of their IPL experience with the Yellow Army.

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin rose to fame in the year 2010 when MS Dhoni used the off-spinner in the power play overs to good effect. The right arm off break bowler returned with impressive figures that year for CSK, picking up 13 wickets in 12 IPL games and as many scalps in 6 CLT20 games.

CSK won both these titles and Ashwin was adjudged Man of the Tournament in the latter, thus earning him a call-up to the national squad. It is worthy to mention that his economy rate while accounting for all these wickets was a miserly 6.23.

After a string of successes in the limited opportunities he got when regular spinner Harbhajan Singh was rested, Ashwin cemented his position in the team and went on to be a member of India's World Cup-winning squad in 2011.

Post that victory, the Tamil Nadu spinner has never looked back and taken giant strides in the world of cricket. He not just picked heaps of wickets as he mastered the art of spin bowling on Indian pitches but also contributed with the bat, making him a mainstay in the Indian line up across all formats.

Having reached many milestones, many of which have come in record time, Ashwin still keeps reinventing himself. Currently, he is in a new role of captaining a team as he leads the Kings XI Punjab outfit in IPL 2018.

In the eight matches so far, five of which his team has won, he has picked only 5 wickets at an average of 49.4 and an economy rate of 7.71. However, as long as his tactical changes and shrewd captaincy help Punjab win, the management will keep faith in him.

#2 Murali Vijay

Vijay is a mainstay in the Indian Test team

34-year-old Tamil Nadu opening batsman Murali Vijay may have been a performer in the domestic circuit, but he will have to credit the IPL for providing his career the boost it required.

After an uneventful start o his Test career in 2009, Vijay capitalised on the 2015 edition of IPL as he scored a mammoth 458 runs across 15 matches. More importantly, his runs came at a strike rate of 156.84 and included a best score of 127.

He was duly rewarded with a position in the Indian squad for the 2010 ICC WT20 but he could not make the opener's position his own. He came good for CSK in 2011 as well as he amassed 434 runs and scored a Man of the Match winning 95 on the night of the final.

However, the success at the T20 level made him lose focus on red ball cricket leading to his ouster from the Test team. Later, with subtle modifications in his batting technique and after learning the art of leaving the ball, he made a strong comeback to the Test team, making the opener's position his own.

After decent stints with Daredevils and Punjab, Vijay returns home as he is once again part of the Yellow Army this year. He has only got a solitary match to play this year and he could only score 12 runs.

He remains India's most reliable opening batsman and his monk-like temperament shall help them on tough upcoming overseas tours.

#3 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma's back of the hand slower ball caused problems for batsmen

Haryana medium pacer Mohit Sharma shot into fame in the 2013 IPL season when he picked up 20 wickets for CSK in 15 matches at an average of just 16.29. His economy rate of 6.43 which included bowling in the power play and at the death was a standout, winning him much deserved adulation.

His efforts went a long way in helping CSK reach the finals, where they lost to Mumbai. Sharma, who was contracted by CSK after a successful Ranji outing where he accounted for 37 scalps in 7 matches, very effectively used the back of the hand slower ball which troubled most batsmen.

His hard work was awarded by a position in the Indian team that toured Zimbabwe in 2013. He had a memorable debut as he became only the second Indian to be awarded Man of the Match on ODI debut. Post that, the Haryana pacer was a regular in the national team and a member of the Indian squad that competed in the 2014 ICC WT20 and 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

An ODI in 2015 against the visiting Proteas in Mumbai proved to be his last outing in Indian colours as he was taken to the cleaners by the South African batsmen, ending up leaking 84 runs in just 7 overs.

However, he is still an active part of the IPL, turning out for Kings XI Punjab. In the four matches that he got at the start of the season, he proved to be quite ineffective as his 5 wickets came at an expensive economy rate of 11.35. The team has since looked towards Ankit Rajpoot who, with 7 scalps in 4 games, has proven to be the right replacement.

#4 Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi could not make it big in international cricket

Delhi born cricketer Pawan Negi first played in the IPL for Delhi in the 2012 and 2013 seasons without much success. Picked by CSK for the 2014 edition, he was effectively used by Dhoni to control the scoring rate courtesy his tight bowling.

Not just that, his big-hitting skills were put to use as he came in as a pinch-hitter and hit some lusty blows. In the CLT20 2014, he picked 7 wickets in 2 matches that included a spell of 5/22 against KKR, the best bowling figures in the league.

An India call-up for the 2016 Asia Cup and ICC WT20 that followed raised his stocks immensely as he went to be bought by Delhi for a whopping ₹8 crores for the 2016 season of IPL. He played just 1 T20I for India against UAE in the Asia Cup and picked up a wicket.

He has not been considered for the national team post that and has been part of RCB in the IPL, where he rarely makes the playing XI. In the 2 matches he has got this season, he has picked a solitary wicket and gone at 12.25 runs per over.

#5 Manpreet Gony

Gony was one of the first beneficiaries of the IPL

Punjab pacer Manpreet Gony was one of the initial beneficiaries of the IPL back in 2008. Turning out for CSK, Gony ended the tournament as their highest wicket taker with 17 wickets in 15 matches.

He also contributed with the bat as he used the long handle to good effect lower down the order. A stint with CSK coupled with a strong domestic performance helped him enter the Indian squad for the 2008 Asia Cup, where he made the starting XI in two games.

He picked a couple of wickets in the second one against Bangladesh, but gave away 65 runs in 8 overs and has since gone out of national reckoning.

He continued to play in the IPL, turning out for Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab and Gujarat Lions in different editions, but could hardly make an impact. He went unsold in the IPL auction prior to the 2018 edition.