IPL history: Chennai Super Kings' XI from their first ever match - Where are they now?

The 12th edition of IPL will get underway next month, and the fans across the country are waiting to watch their favorite teams battle it out for the trophy. The 11 seasons of this league have been very successful in producing some great players who have gone on to represent their country with distinction too.

Every team has its own fanbase, but the number of people who support Chennai Super Kings is huge. The reason behind this is the consistent performance of the team right from the start of the IPL.

CSK have won three titles and have reached the final a record seven times. They are the only team to have reached the knock-outs on every occasion they have played.

The team was bought by India Cements in the year 2008 for $91 million. In the inaugural season, CSK enjoyed a lot of success, finishing as the runners-up. The team consisted of stalwarts of the previous era who played a significant role in the on-field performances.

Let us look at the whereabouts of the players who were a part of their first IPL game:

Top Order: Parthiv Patel, Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey

Mike Hussey

CSK had a solid top order with two left-handers, Parthiv Patel and Mathew Hayden opening the innings and Michael Hussey coming in at three. These three often built a strong foundation for the team.

Parthiv scored in excess of 500 runs in three seasons whereas Hayden contributed with 1107 runs for the franchise. Hussey on the other hand played a slew of crucial knocks for the team, scoring over 1700 runs.

Parthiv has represented 5 franchises after leaving CSK and is presently playing for RCB in IPL. He also represents Gujarat in first-class cricket.

When Hayden retired from IPL after the third edition, he had already quit international cricket. He held respectable positions in the Queensland and Australian Cricket Boards. These days we see him live on the TV as an expert and analyst who gives interesting insights into the game.

Hussey on the other hand worked as a consultant for the South African and Australian teams before taking over as the batting coach of Chennai Super Kings in 2018.

Middle order: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Jacob Oram and Subramaniam Badrinath

Raina and Dhoni

When you have MS Dhoni at 4, Suresh Raina at 5 and Jacom Oram at 6, you know you can dominate any side in the world. Dhoni and Raina have been the icons of the team since its inception. While Dhoni has led the team to three titles, Raina has been one of the highest run-getters in IPL history.

Talking about Jacob Oram, he was handy with the ball as well as with the bat. Meanwhile, the local boy Badrinath played the supporting role very well, scoring 1477 runs across six seasons.

Dhoni and Raina are the only players still active in the CSK team. Oram was appointed as the bowling coach for New Zealand A team and is now the mentor for Adam Milne.

Badrinath was bought as a backup player for RCB in 2015 but later decided to stop playing IPL. He went on to represent Vidarbha in first class and finally retired from all forms of cricket in 2018.

Bowlers: Joginder Sharma, Palani Amarnath, Manpreet Gony, Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan

The bowling line up of CSK was quite strong with the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Manpreet Gony in the eleven. The squad also included Joginder Sharma who was instrumental in India’s win in the 2007 World T20.

Palani Amarnath made it to the XI after a successful run in the domestic format.

Muralitharan’s contribution to the team was vital in the first three seasons as he took 41 wickets. Post retirement, he worked as a consultant with the Australian team in 2014. He is currently the bowling coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been a driving force for the team.

Gony, after leaving CSK, played for a couple of franchises while continuing to play domestic cricket for Punjab. Joginder Sharma continues to serve the Haryana Police as the Deputy Superintendent.

Amarnath played for his state until 2013 in the domestic circuit. He also participated in TNPL, playing his last match for Madurai SG in 2017.