Not Stephen Fleming, but who was the first head coach of Chennai Super Kings?

Over the years, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have established themselves as one of if not the most decorated franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

They made headlines in the very first player auction, signing the flavor of the cricketing world MS Dhoni for a record sum of $1.5 million (approximately ₹6 crore back then). India's white-ball captain at the time was appointed the captain of the Super Kings and there was no looking back thereafter.

Under Dhoni's astute leadership, coupled with Stephen Fleming's tutelage as the team's head coach, CSK have pocketed five IPL crowns in 14 attempts apart from claiming two Champions League T20 (CLT20) titles.

They've also made the playoffs a record 12 times while qualifying for the final in 10 of those.

While the Dhoni-Fleming partnership has become synonymous with CSK and its storied success, it is worth noting that the latter was bought at the player auction in 2008 and was appointed the team's head coach the following year. This brings us to the question - who was the franchise's first coach in the inaugural season?

The answer as it turns out is South African Kepler Wessels, who celebrates his 66th birthday on Thursday, September 14.

The former batter, who represented both Australia and South Africa in international cricket, took charge of a star-studded Super Kings outfit that featured prominent names like Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Suresh Raina and Parthiv Patel, apart from Dhoni and Fleming themselves.

CSK made a terrific start to IPL 2008, winning their first four matches to be perched on top of the points table. Things took a hit once Hayden, Hussey and Jacob Oram departed on national duty as the Super Kings lost three on the bounce right after.

They blew hot and cold in the second half of the tournament but managed to qualify for the semifinals as they finished third on the table with 16 points from 14 matches.

Having blown away the Kings XI Punjab (as they were known back then) in the semifinal, they narrowly lost the final to the Rajasthan Royals, who chased down 164 off the final delivery at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

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Why did Kepler Wessels not return to CSK post IPL 2008?

It seemed as though the Wessels-Dhoni partnership would continue for a good period of time as a result of a good start to their journey. The team also qualified for the inaugural CLT20 the same year although the tournament was put off on the back of the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

Had the tournament gone on as per plan though, it was anticipated that Fleming would coach the Super Kings with Wessels' contract with the franchise penned down for one year alone, according to a report on ESPNcricinfo.

Shifting his focus to broadcasting and commentary, Wessels returned to the IPL in the capacity of a commentator in 2009. Fleming took full-time charge of the Super Kings and continues to do so even today.

Dhoni and Fleming oversaw CSK's record-equalling fifth IPL crown earlier this year as they defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a rain-affected last-ball thriller in Ahmedabad.

Wessels has had further coaching gigs though with the Highveld Lions, as well as the South African men's team as their batting consultant.

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A look back at Kepler Wessels' international career

Kepler Wessels (center) holds the rare distinction of having represented two Test-playing nations (Picture Credits: 100MB).

Born in Bloemfontein, Wessels made his first-class debut in the 1973-74 season for Orange Free State. Given that it coincided with the time South Africa's cricket team was in exile on the back of the country's struggle with Apartheid, he joined Kerry Packer's famous World Series Cricket event towards the end of that decade.

After the World Series Cricket was scrapped, Wessels went on to represent Australia in the 1980s, making his debut in the Brisbane Test of the 1982-83 Ashes series. He enjoyed a successful career, averaging 42.95 in 24 Tests for Australia with nine fifties and four hundreds, apart from scoring 1740 runs in 54 ODIs with 14 half-centuries and a century.

He retired from international cricket 1985 but after South Africa's readmission to the sport, returned to play for the country of his birth. After captaining them at the 1992 World Cup, he was the country's first Test captain post readmission when they played the West Indies in a solitary game in Bridgetown, Barbados.

He played 16 Tests and 55 ODIs for South Africa, averaging 38.04 and 32.54 respectively and played his last international game in 1994.

While his name is seldom taken when one speaks about the legacy of CSK, one cannot ignore the role Wessels played in the first season. More so at a time when the IPL - and franchise cricket in general - was in its infancy and getting players of different cultures to gel together is a challenge that is pertinent even today.

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What is your most fond memory of CSK from the very first IPL season in 2008? Let us know in the comments section below!

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