IPL: Chennai Super Kings' all-time XI

The Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent team in the IPL so far. The men in yellow are always the favourites whenever they take the field, irrespective of the opposition. In their eight years in IPL, they have created a legacy for themselves which sets them apart from the rest of the teams. Over the years, they had a few of cricket's biggest superstars in their ranks under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Let us make an all-time XI from the players that have donned the yellow jersey in the Indian Premier League.

Note: Only those players who have played 2 or more seasons of IPL for the Chennai Super Kings have been considered.

#1 Michael Hussey (Opener)

The words 'Hussey' and 'CSK' are synonymous. Mr Cricket joined CSK in 2008 and was perhaps the best opener the franchise has ever had.

Hussey's ability to pace the innings beautifully always gave the middle order a good platform to launch an assault.

Hussey has scored 2213 runs for the Chennai Super Kings in 64 matches at an average of 41.

#2 Murali Vijay (Opener)

The local lad from Chennai was a gem of a batsman for the Chennai Super Kings at the top.

He along with Micheal Hussey for the most reliable opening pair in the first six seasons of IPL.

Even though he is regarded as a Test specialist, Vijay did not find any trouble in scoring at a brisk pace in the T20 format.

Vijay’s figures for the CSK read 2097 runs at an average of 26.5 striking at 126.

#3 Suresh Raina (Middle-order batsman)

Widely regarded as 'Mr IPL', Suresh Raina has been a part of every single game that Chennai Super Kings have played in the IPL.

For the first seven years, there was not a season when he had not scored less than 400 runs.

An aggregate of 4541 runs at a strike rate of 141 with 2 centuries and 30 fifties are enough to prove that Raina has been the best middle-order batsman the CSK have ever had.

#4 Subramaniam Badrinath (Middle-order batsman)

The Tamil Nadu batsman was a vital cog in the CSK middle order in the early years of the IPL.

Like his mate Suresh Raina, Badrinath too had not missed a single game for CSK for a long time.

Whenever CSK used to lose early wickets, Badrinath used to come higher up the order to repair the damage. Badrinath’s 1667 runs at a strike rate of 114 for the CSK include 12 fifties.

#5 MS Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper)

This a no-brainer, "The Thala" MS Dhoni is undoubtedly the most valuable player the Chennai Super Kings have had.

One cannot just imagine the Chennai Super Kings without MS Dhoni. A shrewd leader, a brilliant finisher and a devastating striker of the ball, Dhoni continues to be an indispensable asset for the Chennai Super Kings.

Dhoni has scored 3435 runs at a strike rate of 140 with 152 sixes.

#6 Dwayne Bravo (All-rounder)

Starting his career as an all-rounder, DJ Bravo has evolved into a magician with the bat by developing a bag of tricks with his slower deliveries.

Bravo is Dhoni's most bankable bowler in the death overs since he is very hard to get away with. He has won the purple cap twice, in 2013 and 2015.

He has picked 93 wickets from 75 games at an economy of 7.99.

#7 Albie Morkel (All-rounder)

The South African all-rounder played a big part in the CSK's years of glory with his all-around abilities.

Morkel was a lower-order hitter who could wield his willow to good effect in death overs.

During first 6 overs, he used to make the ball swing and give early breakthroughs. Morkel has scored at a strike rate of 142 and has picked 91 wickets for the CSK.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja (Spinner)

Jadeja was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for a whopping Rs 9.72 crore in 2012. He has proved to be effective for them in all departments of the game.

Jadeja is a utility player who can be equally good with the bat and ball as well in the field.

This makes him the most sought-after player in the league. His strike rate for the CSK is 133 and has picked up 64 wickets from 84 games.

#9 Ravichandran Ashwin (Spinner)

The star off-spinner was Dhoni's most trusted man with the ball during their CSK days.

Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled with the new ball in the days when opening the bowling with a spinner was not so popular.

He has played a big part getting crucial wickets and has seldom let his the CSK down. Ashwin has picked up 120 wickets at a miserly economy of 6.66.

#10 Doug Bollinger (Fast bowler)

The left-arm quick from New South Wales was a mighty effective bowler for the Chennai Super Kings in their 2010 and 2011 title wins.

A bustling pacer who could hit the deck hard, Bollinger has given nightmares too many batsmen in the IPL.

His 55 wickets from 41 matches at an economy of 7.30 prove that he was a match-winner with the ball.

#11 Mohit Sharma (Fast bowler)

During the days when the Chennai Super Kings did not have a quality Indian fast-bowler, Mohit Sharma put his hand up and shouldered the responsibility of the pace department alone.

His performance for the CSK earned him a national call-up. Mohit Sharma was the purple cap winner in 2014 edition of the IPL.

Sharma has 68 wickets from 57 matches at 22.48 apiece.