First ever IPL XI of Chennai Super Kings: Where are they now?

Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most successful IPL team and undoubtedly, the most consistent outfit too. They made their return after serving a two-year ban, and after facing a lot of flak for their auction choices last year, they proved everyone wrong by winning the trophy.

Despite any circumstances, they have made to the knockout stage of every season that they have played and that is enough to describe their expertise in this form of cricket. The yellow army- who have won the trophy thrice are shoulder-to-shoulder with the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians. However, they will be looking forward to breaking the tie and winning the trophy for the second consecutive year.

In the first season of IPL, CSK bought many classic players like Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Muttiah Muralitharan, Michael Hussey to name a few. Also, they bought the costliest player of the inaugural auction - MS Dhoni.

They had an amazing season and made their way to the finals against Rajasthan Royals. Unfortunately, they lost the match, and they were unable to clinch the title. But, where is the 2008 squad now? Here is an article which will tell you whereabouts of the 2008 squad.

Openers: Matthew Hayden and Parthiv Patel

The dominating Australian opener opened for Chennai Super Kings too. The then 36-year-old scored 189 runs and created a strong foundation for the Kings. In the second season, the Super Kings opener Matthew Hayden scored 572 runs in 12 innings with 5 half-centuries at an average of 52 and strike-rate of 145. He won the Orange Cap for the leading run-scorer of the season and was also adjudged Player of the Tournament.

The burly Aussie did not stay for long with CSK as he retired from international cricket in 2009 and from the IPL in 2010, but he made a tremendous impact whilst his time in Chennai.

Currently, Hayden has been working with Cricket Australia in raising the profile of cricket among the indigenous population of Australia. He has held respectable positions in the Queensland and Australian Cricket Boards. Hayden is also an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.

In 2018, Hayden met with an accident while skiing with his family in Queensland. He suffered from multiple fractures and ligament tears. However, the legend is doing fine now.

Pakistan Cricket Board recently announced that Hayden will work as a commentator in Pakistan Super League alongside Graeme Smith and Ramiz Raja this year. These days we also see him live on the TV as an expert and analyst who gives interesting insights into the game.

Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings - IPL T20

Parthiv Patel served as the opening batsman for the franchise, alongside Hayden, and he performed fairly well. The keeper-batsman was CSK's third leading run scorer in the season with 302 runs from 13 games, including two 50s.

In the finals, he scored a much-needed 33-ball 38 runs which proved to be a strong base for his staggering team.

He remained in CSK till 2010, and since then, he has changed his team five times. He has been a part of Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. Currently, he is serving his second tenure at Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Patel couldn't stay long in the international circuit and made his last appearance for India against South Africa in 2018. He is still in the radar for the Indian squad and is playing for Gujarat in first-class cricket.

Middle Order: Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni, and Suresh Raina

The brilliant Aussie scored a century in his maiden match in the IPL. Michael Hussey smashed KXIP that day in Mohali. Hussey was superb during his time with CSK and is still fondly remembered by the Chennai faithful. He was one of the six players who scored a century in the opening season of IPL. He is fondly called as Mr Cricket due to his vast knowledge about the sport.

After retiring from international cricket, he worked as a consultant for Australian and South African teams. He was a commentator in the IPL for the 2016 season. He has also worked as Director of Cricket for Sydney Thunder. In 2018, he became the batting coach of CSK

The MVP, the ambassador and the name which is synonymous with CSK is the one of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Captain Cool needs no introduction as he has done enough and more to prove himself as an established player.

One of the world's most successful captains and wicketkeeper, he was the star of this format right from the beginning. In the first instalment, Dhoni contributed with 414 runs from 16 games.

During the time when CSK was banned from IPL, Mahi played for Rising Pune Super Giant for two years. Rejoining the forces in 2018, he made sure that the returning team won the title again to prove its legitimacy.

He retired from Test Cricket in 2014, and he has stepped down from the captaincy post in 2016. He still plays for the national team.

The highest run-scorer in IPL history, Suresh Raina is a CSK legend, and he is fondly remembered for his exploits for them. He is still active in the team, and he is considered one of the most important and integral members of the team. Raina became a fixture at number three, but in the opening season, he found himself at number five in the batting order. Raina was the star of the stars from the maiden season, scoring 421 runs from the 16 games and being the team's top-scorer.

Raina was the captain of Gujarat Lions during the suspension period. Unlike the old days, Raina is not a usual call-up to the national squad these days. He played his last international match in July 2018, against England. However, he is contributing with his experience to the Uttar Pradesh domestic team in the national leagues.

Lower Middle Order: Jacob Oram and Subramaniam Badrinath

Jacob Oram was considered as one of the best all-rounders around when he was at the prime of his career. The Kiwi veteran who was known as the gentle giant was never a spectacular player for CSK, but he always did his best to push the team. Despite being in the last stage of his career, he was instrumental in taking the side to final and semi-finals in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Oram scored 106 runs in 15 matches at an average of 16 with the highest score of 41. He also picked up 8 wickets in 15 matches and was particularly impressive in 2009.

In 2010, Oram was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Then, he went on to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.

In 2014, Oram became the bowling coach of New Zealand 'A' team, and he is also serving as a mentor to Adam Milne.

Subramaniam Badrinath played a very important part by executing the role of a wingman for the team. He gave hope to the international selectors by proving his mettle in the shortest format of cricket. The player proved himself by his all-time presence in the batting lineup in the first edition, scoring 192 runs from 16 matches.

He remained in the team till 2013, and the local boy scored 1477 runs in six seasons. Despite being a very consistent player, he couldn't make it to the national team. Following VVS Laxman's retirement, CSK's Mr Dependable was called up to be a part of the Indian Test team for the West Indies tour. He remained unsold in 2014 but was used as a backup by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015.

In 2018, he announced retirement from all forms of cricket.

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

Joginder Sharma, who was instrumental in India's T20 World Cup win in 2007 may not be a relevant name today, but he played his part during his short stint. He was the star bowler in the opening season of IPL for CSK. He took eight wickets in the season, and he was a good add-on to an already strong bowling side.

Currently, he works with the Haryana Police as the Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Palani Amarnath has been a gem for the Tamil Nadu cricket team. He had been a good performer since the mid-2000s. But the issue was that he came in too late and he perished too quickly. He impressed in his third first-class match, taking his first five-wicket haul, against Karnataka.

In the inaugural season, he played a few matches for CSK and he took 7 wickets in 6 matches with an economy of 10.72.

He did not play first-class cricket since the 2008-09 Ranji season. However, he continues to feature in a few List-A and T20 games for Tamil Nadu.

The bowling line-up of CSK has been very strong since the begining, and Manpreet Gony was an integral part of it. Along with Muralitharan, he took care of the bowling department. The fast bowler became a star in CSK, and he took 17 wickets in 16 games.

The new-comer was given a chance to shine, and he didn't let anyone down. Gony picked one wicket during the final which was the first wicket of the innings. He finished his spell with 30 runs conceded at an economy rate of 7.50. Later, he represented Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab. In 2017, he was taken by Gujarat Lions.

Currently, he plays as a senior player in the Punjab domestic team.

The legend himself was in the inaugural team of CSK. Muttiah Muralitharan was one of the biggest catches of CSK, and he still owns the heart of hardcore CSK fans. The right-arm off breaker was the team's trusted, and he remained in the team until 2010. During the 2008 season, he played 15 games and picked up 11 wickets.

The master technician was the leading member of CSK's bowling attack. In the first three seasons, he picked up a whopping 41 wickets. The Sri Lankan later played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He retired after the 2011 World Cup.

Currently, he is serving as the bowling coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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