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Chennai Super Kings is regarded as the most successful T20 team in the Indian Premier League since its inception. Chennai Super Kings was founded in the year of 2008 and it is owned by India Cements. Coached by Stephen Fleming and Captained by MS Dhoni, the team has won three IPL titles (2010, 2011 and 2018) across 11 seasons. After being banned for two years, CSK made a roaring comeback to win the title in 2018.
Chennai Super Kings have always been a consistent side and have entered the play-off/Semi-final in every season. The team, not only has won 3 IPL titles, but also has won two Champions League T20 titles (2010 and 2014). The secret to their success is largely due to a balanced side be it with batting or bowling.
When it comes to statistics, Chennai Super Kings have the best record in terms of win/loss ratio. Out of 148 games played, CSK have won 90 games and lost 57 games with one game ending as No Result. This very much proves the composition of the side and the effective leadership of MS Dhoni.
In this article, we look at the top five picks of Chennai Super Kings in IPL history since the inception.
#1 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has been the linchpin of Chennai Super Kings right from the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League. He was bought for $650,000 USD by CSK management and has lived up to the expectations ever since. Suresh Raina holds the record for being the top scorer in Indian Premier League with 4985 runs from 172 innings. Other than 2016 and 2017 seasons, Suresh Raina has been part of Chennai Super Kings and has won countless games for his team.
In the third edition of Indian Premier League in 2010, Suresh Raina scored 520 runs at an average of 47.27 and particularly his knock of 57 in the finals against Mumbai Indians helped CSK win that year’s IPL. He followed it up 438 runs in the 2011 season, which helped CSK win that season as well.
The left-hander was at his imperious best in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, where he scored 548 and 523 runs and at an impeccable average of above 40, which is a record of sorts. After returning back to Chennai Super Kings for this year, the left-handed batsman scored 445 runs at an impressive average of 37.08 and played an integral part in CSK’s triumph.
#4 Michael Hussey
Michael Hussey has been the dark horse of Chennai Super Kings since the inaugural season. The Australian was picked up in the 2008 auction by Chennai Super Kings for $350,000 USD. The Australian made his announcement in Indian Premier League with a blistering knock of 116* in just 54 deliveries against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali in 2008.
This knock not only won the game for his team but also earned him the Man of the Match. Ever since there was no looking back as Michael Hussey has been their most reliable overseas batsman.
Hussey has been part of seven IPL seasons out of which he played six seasons for Chennai Super Kings and one season for Mumbai Indians (2014). Overall, he has scored 1977 runs in 59 games at an average of 38.76.
He was the highest scorer for Chennai Super Kings twice (495 runs in 2011 and 732 runs in 2013) and also the highest run-getter in the 2013 season with 732 runs.
His knock of 63 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the finals of 2011 season was instrumental in CSK winning the final. Currently, Michael Hussey is the batting coach of Chennai Super Kings.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja was nicknamed as Rockstar by none other than by Shane Warne due to his splendid performance both with bat and ball that helped Rajasthan Royals win the inaugural edition of India Premier League in 2008. After having a mediocre season in 2009 for Rajasthan Royals, Jadeja was not allowed to play the third season due to compliance issues.
He was then picked up Kochi Tuskers for the 2011 season and after having a disappointing season he was again in the auction pool for the 2012 season. However, his fortune took a turn when Chennai Super Kings bought him for a whopping 12 crore INR ahead of the fifth season. He was the highest paid player and there were high expectations on him for that season.
The left-handed all-rounder had a terrific start to his campaign by picking up a 5-fer in only his second game for CSK against Deccan Chargers. He picked up 5-16 and helped CSK win the match. He was also awarded Man of the Match for his performance. Jadeja picked up 11 wickets in that season and followed it up 12 wickets in 2013 season. He had a dream run in the 2014 season, where he picked up 19 wickets and played a key role in the team’s success.
Jadeja picked up 11 wickets in the 2015 season for CSK before the team was banned for two years.
After playing for two years for Gujarat Lions, Jadeja could only manage 13 wickets in two seasons combined. However, he was retained by CSK for the 2018 season and he managed to produce the goods both with the bat and ball that helped CSK win their third IPL trophy.
Ravindra Jadeja has won many games for CSK with the bat as well. His famous heroics in the 2013 season, where he smashed RP Singh all over Chepauk to help CSK win a famous game against RCB is one among the iconic moment of Ravindra Jadeja.
#2 Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo played for Mumbai Indians from 2008 to 2010 before moving to Chennai Super Kings in 2011. He was picked up in the auctions by Chennai Super Kings for $200,000 USD. In the 2011 season, Bravo played only six games and managed to pick up only six wickets.
Things started to change for the West Indian as he proved his worth by picking up 15 wickets and scored crucial runs as a lower order batsman. He was instrumental in helping CSK reach the finals of 2012.
The 2013 season was a dream season for the right arm all-rounder. In 18 matches, Dwayne Bravo scored 121 runs with the bat and managed to pick up 32 wickets at an incredible average of 15.53. He picked up 4/42 in the finals against Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens.
He was also the highest wicket-taker for the season and was the important factor in CSK’s campaign. After suffering an injury in the 2014 season, Bravo made a great comeback in the 2015 season for the men in yellow.
The all-rounder scored 195 runs in 17 games and picked up 26 wickets. He was once again the highest wicket-taker for the season and played a key role in CSK’s campaign of 2015. Due to the two-year ban, Bravo played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 season, where he picked up 17 wickets and helped his team reach playoffs.
He couldn’t play the 2017 season due to injury but made a good comeback in the 2018 season, where he scored 141 runs and picked up 14 wickets with the ball.
Undoubtedly, Dwayne Bravo is one of the best picks by Chennai Super Kings and not to forget he is the fourth highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL with 136 wickets from 122 games. The famous moment of Dwayne Bravo would be the last ball six off Rajat Bhatia to win a game for CSK against KKR at the Eden Gardens in 2012.
#1 MS Dhoni
The man with the Midas touch, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is undoubtedly the best captain amongst his compatriots in the Indian Premier League. Except for 2016 and 2017, when he was a part of Rising Pune Super Giants, MSD has been part of CSK and lead his team to three IPL titles (2010, 2011 and 2018).
MS Dhoni was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping 1.5 million USD, which was the highest buy of 2008 season. Despite the heavy price, Dhoni has lived up to the expectations and has silenced his critics every now and then.
When it comes to captaincy record, MS has lead CSK in 168 games out of which CSK has won 103 games and lost 63 games and a winning ratio of 61.97, which is second best to none.
Across the 11 seasons of Indian Premier League, Dhoni has scored 4015 runs at an average of 40.15. Despite having a torrid time with Rising Pune Supergiants for two seasons (2016 and 2017), the former Indian skipper made a roaring comeback in the 2018 season and lead his side and became the champions of 2018 seasons.
The iconic moment of MS Dhoni would be his heroics with the bat against Kings XI Punjab at Dharamsala in 2010 season that propelled his team into the final stages of the season.
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