Five most expensive buys in Chennai Super Kings history

Chennai Super Kings may not be in the Indian Premier League, as a result of their suspension, but with two IPL titles and two CL T20 titles, they are undoubtedly one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL.

They were bought by India Cements for $91 million in 2008, making them the fourth-most expensive team and have since been one of the most consistent sides in the history of the competition.

Although they were renowned for maintaining their core players and only making a handful of additions each year, they did splash the cash when necessary. Whether it was going for MS Dhoni in the inaugural IPL Auction or Ravindra Jadeja in the 2012 auction, they have made their mark in terms of big-money buys.

Not all of them have gone on to become huge successes, but their tendency to only go big on few occasions have meant that they have largely avoided having too many big-money flops.

Here are the five most expensive buys in Chennai Super Kings' history:

#5 Subramaniam Badrinath - $850,000

Subramaniam Badrinath's international career is a fascinating case study and an unfortunate example of someone who was just born in the wrong era. But as far as his IPL career goes, he was Chennai Super Kings' go-to player when they were ever in trouble.

Although he wasn't the most destructive or powerful batsman, Badrinath still found a way to score runs and for CSK, it almost always arrived when it mattered most. So it was no surprise to see CSK purchase him for $850,000 in the 2011 IPL Auction when he had a base price of just $100,000.

While he didn't always get the big scores, he allowed CSK to have a flexible batting order and his fielding made him an asset even when he didn't score big.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin - $850,000

After picking up 13 wickets in the 2010 edition of the Indian Premier League and 13 more in the Champion League T20, both of which were won by Chennai Super Kings, Ravichandran Ashwin was always going to be bought back by the franchise for IPL 2011.

And so it proved as the Indian off-spinner, who had a base price of just $100,000 went for 8.5 times his base price as CSK secured his signature for $850,000, making him their most expensive signing of the 2011 auction. Since then, he has only gone on to repay their faith in spades.

Until the 2011 IPL Auction, Ashwin had picked up 28 wickets in 20 games for CSK at an economy rate of just 6.07. Since then he has gone on to become the team's leading wicket-taker and has 120 wickets in 121 matches at an economy rate of under 7 and established himself one of the best bowlers in the world.

#3 MS Dhoni – $1.5 million

After leading India to victory in the inaugural World T20 in 2007, it was no surprise to see that MS Dhoni was the big winner in the first-ever IPL Auction. He was picked by the Chennai Super Kings for a then-record fee of $ 1.5 million and was one of only two players to have fetched more than $ 1 million in 2008.

While some might have thought that was expensive, two IPL titles, two Champions League T20 titles later, the number didn't seem to matter too much. He has since gone on to become the most successful captain in IPL history and established himself as one of the stars of the tournament.

From his ability to remain calm under extreme duress, finishing the innings and making the best out of the resources at his disposal, Dhoni has certainly repaid every penny that Chennai Super Kings spent on him and then some more.

Despite his massive fee, his record of being the most expensive player in IPL history didn't last for more than a season as it was smashed in the following year by his teammate.

#2 Andrew Flintoff - $1.55 million

Andrew Flintoff may have broken the franchise record for being the most expensive player in 2009, but his signing was one will go down in history for reasons that have nothing to do with his performances on the pitch.

It all started even before the auction in 2009 as it was later revealed that his move to Chennai Super Kings for $1.55 million was facilitated by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi who had pulled strings to ensure that CSK got their man.

As the only team with a full $2 million to spend, CSK were favorites but Modi told CNN-IBN that the deal which saw Flintoff become the most expensive IPL player along with Kevin Pietersen, who went to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the same year, was manipulated. Modi said: "I was arm-twisted to allow Andrew Flintoff to go to Chennai Super Kings. I'm to blame for that. It's a fact.”

On the field, though, the England all-rounder became one of the biggest flops of the tournament and himself later admitted that he couldn't get going while he was playing for Chennai Super Kings.

Flintoff scored 62 runs at an average of 31 and strike rate of 116.9 and picked up just two wickets at an economy rate of 9.54 in three matches before he was injured and ruled out of the rest of the tournament. In the same year, he retired from cricket and didn't play again in the IPL.

#1 Ravindra Jadeja - $2 million

After going big in the first two editions of the IPL with the most expensive player in the 2008 and 2009 auction, Chennai Super Kings remained silent bystanders in the next two auctions but still won back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011. With a settled squad, they broke the bank in their bid to make it three in a row and made their most expensive signing in the 2012 auction.

Only three players breached the magical $1 million mark in the 2012 auction and the biggest of them was Ravindra Jadeja, who was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for $2 million after they beat Deccan Chargers in a tie-breaker to his signature.

Few expected Ravindra Jadeja to break that record, even if he was an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals side which won the maiden IPL title in 2008 and was bought for $950,000 by Kochi Tuskers in the 2011 auction. Following Kochi's termination in September 2011, Jadeja went into the auction once again and was bought for a whopping $2 million by CSK.

He soon developed a potent combination with Ravichandran Ashwin, which has since blossomed in the international level for India. Although he scored over 800 runs for the franchise at a decent average and strike rate for someone who came lower down the order and picked up 64 wickets, he wasn't quite the blockbuster buy that CSK might have thought he would become when they broke the bank for him.