IPL 2008 Final: A look at CSK XI

MS Dhoni

#4 Albie Morkel

One of MS Dhoni's lethal weapons during the initial days of Chennai Super Kings was Albie Morkel. Being the perfect all-rounder in the squad, Morkel scored 241 runs and picked 17 wickets in the inaugural season.

A key figure who took the final to a nail-biting finish was this South African all-rounder. With the bat, he contributed a quickfire 16 runs off 13 balls with two maximums. Defending the total, Albie Morkel had 2 wickets in pocked from the 4 overs, conceding only 25 runs and being CSK's best bowler on the night.

The elder Morkel then went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiants in IPL. The 37-year-old who played his last international match in 2015, announced his retirement from cricket last month.

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#5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The man who needs no introduction on this list is captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. One of India's most successful captains and Chennai Super Kings' biggest names, he was a star right from the birth of IPL. In CSK's first runners-up finish, Dhoni contributed with 414 runs from 16 games.

Leading the team in the final, MS Dhoni came in to bat and remained unbeaten with 29 runs off 17 balls. Doing what he does the best, 'Captain Cool' took his side to a decent total of 163 runs. However, the captain who motivated the team to the final fell short of the cup by an inch at the most important hour.

The Jharkhand-born wicketkeeper represented Rising Pune Supergiants for two years, during Chennai's ban period. Rejoining CSK, Dhoni is now again at the helm of the ship. Having retired from Test Cricket in 2014, Mahi remains a senior player in the Indian limited over teams.

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#6 Chamara Kapugedera

Chamara Kapugedera was one who had a short stint with the Chennai franchise. The Sri Lankan batsman was part of IPL only for a single season and represented CSK in 5 matches, scoring only 16 runs.

During the final, Kapugedera came in to bat at No.6, but could only score 8 off 12 balls. With no other notable remarks, the middle-order batsman finished off the season.

With no other IPL records, the 31year old is part of the Sri Lankan national team occasionally. He was part of the Lankan limited over teams in the 2017 series against India.

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#7 Subramaniam Badrinath

One Indian talent from IPL, that gave much hope to Indian cricket was Subramaniam Badrinath of CSK. The player was an all-time presence in the batting lineup in the first edition, scoring 192 runs from 16 matches.

However, the Tamil Nadu-born player didn't have huge duties against Rajasthan Royals. Coming in to bat at No.7, Badrinath had only 2 balls to face, from which he collected 6 runs, alongside MS Dhoni.

The player was a constant figure in the Chennai batting order until the 2013 season. Even after promising performances in the domestic circuit, Badrinath couldn't make it big in the national colours. The player played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2015 IPL season and is now not involved in any form of cricket as a player.