The Chennai Super Kings is the No 1 team in IPL on all counts. Their success could be attributed to so many factors like the leadership of Dhoni, the presence of strong local talent and the franchise’s strategy to always keep the core of the team intact. CSK has also been fortunate to select long-lasting players in MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina in the very first season itself and to retain them forever subsequently. In the past, CSK had been represented by legends like Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Brendon McCullum. Several exceptionally talented players had played their part in CSK being successful over some time.
Now let's see the all-time best CSK XI in Ipl history:
Murali Vijay:
Murali Vijay first represented CSK in IPL 2009. After a poor start in his debut year, Vijay had been a consistent performer for CSK for the next four years. Murali Vijay was the only player to have scored two IPL hundreds for CSK before Shane Watson equalled that rare feat last year. During his hay days, Vijay had forged a formidable opening partnership with Mike Hussey. Vijay’s transformation from a technically correct Test opener to an aggressive T20 opener happened at CSK when he learned to muscle the bowlers during the powerplay. Though Vijay’s tenure at CSK did not make him a successful International player in white ball cricket, it did help in enhancing his range of strokes and in improving his fielding skills. He played 65 matches and scored 1612 runs for CSK at an average of 26.
Michael Hussey:
Mike Hussey made his debut for CSK in the inaugural season of IPL 2008. In his very first match for CSK, Hussey smashed 116 off 54 balls at a strike rate of 215. On national duty, Hussey could not play many matches for CSK in 2009 and 2010. In the next three years, Hussey scored 1486 runs for CSK. With 733 runs, he was the orange cap holder in IPL 2013. He played 50 matches for CSK and scored 1768 runs at an average of 42. Vijay and Hussey have been one of the most successful opening pairs in IPL history have scored more than 1000 runs together at an average of 41 with the highest partnership of 159. For CSK, so many overseas players have played the role of the opener successfully. Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, and Faf du Plessis, to name a few. Out of all these players, Michael Hussey was the most consistent overseas opener for CSK. Besides, his partnership with Murali Vijay had won many a match for CSK.
Also Read | Greatest Left-Handed IPL XI of all time
Suresh Raina (Vice-Captain):
Suresh Raina holds all the records in the IPL. He is the highest run-getter in IPL and holds the record for the most number of catches and most number of IPL appearances. Raina has been CSK’s permanent No. 3 from Day 1. He has the game to annul any early loss of wickets and to optimize the run-scoring during the powerplay. He also has the temperament to play the long innings by T20 standards and to take his team through. Once settled, Raina is unstoppable. Raina’s best IPL innings came against Kings XI Punjab in the second qualifying final in IPL 2014. Chasing 226 for a win, CSK lost Faf du Plessis early. Raina faced the third ball of the innings and got out to the first ball of the seventh over. In between Raina galloped 87 runs off 25 balls with 12 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 348 before he got run-out. Raina would be the ideal No 3 for any T20 team, leave alone for CSK. Raina played 141 matches for CSK and scored around 4144 runs at an average of 35.
Faf du Plessis:
Francois du Plessis was initially signed by CSK in 2011. He had to watch his team win the IPL title from the bench as he made his IPL debut in 2012. Du Plessis is a classy and composed batsman who plays according to the situation. He is capable of playing the role of an anchor as well as the role of an aggressor. He is a livewire in the field, making him a perfect T20 package for any captain. The Proteas captain enjoyed a fine season with the Chennai Super Kings scoring 398 runs in IPL 2012. In the 2014 and 2015 campaigns, Faf scored 303 and 380 runs respectively. He was a batsman CSK could depend on at the top of the order. Du Plessis has scored 1852 runs in 71 matches with an average of 31.40. Apart from his batting, he is also a leader on the field and his experience often comes in handy.
Also Read | Most successful teams in IPL history
MS Dhoni (Captain and Wicket-Keeper):
MS Dhoni has been the brand identity for CSK all along. CSK is the most popular and most followed team in the IPL all because of the presence of one MS Dhoni in the team. The Chennai franchise was fortuna300-rocket Dhoni in the inaugural IPL auction which escalated the image of the franchise to their greater heights year aftthatFrom 2008 to 2015, Dhoni had crossed the 300-run mark in every edition of IPL except in 2010. More than the number of runs, it was their leadership qualities that stood out. He was adept at operating his overseas and local resources to the optimum level. Even an overseas International Captain like Faf du Plessis has acknowledged Dhoni’s role in developing his leadership skills just by observing him handling matters. MS Dhoni had his best IPL season last year when he amazed 455 runs at an average of 76 and strike rate of 150. He did his finisher’s job to perfection when he remained not out on 9 of the 15 innings that he batted. He played 145 matches and scored around 3441 runs at an average of 42. Dhoni is the undisputed captain and wicket-keeper of this team.
Dwayne Bravo:
Dwayne Bravo is one of the stalwarts of the T20 format. The Trinidadian started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians but joined the Yellow Army in 2011. Bravo’s flair and personality are second to none. He is a street-smart cricketer who is not only good with the bat and ball but is also a brilliant fielder. His ability to stop the flow of runs and pick up crucial wickets towards the end of the innings has earned him 2 purple caps. He has picked up a total of 147 wickets in 134 matches which is the 3rd highest among overseas bowlers. Moreover, the all-rounder has scored almost 1500 runs. The West Indian international picked up 32 and 26 wickets in the 2 seasons in which he won the purple cap. CSK won the IPL in his first season with the team (2011) and has gone on to be extremely successful whenever Bravo has played well. His 32 wickets in 2013 is also the highest number of wickets taken by a bowler in any season. DJ Bravo’s most fruitful season with the bat came in 2012 as he scored 371 runs. His quick-fire cameos at the back end of the innings meant that Chennai would win the IPL for the 2nd time in 2 years. After a couple of seasons with the Gujarat Lions, he was drafted by CSK using the RTM card. His performances in the last 2 seasons haven’t been brilliant but his contributions throughout his stay at CSK are enough to give him legendary status in the team.
Albie Morkel:
Johannes Albertus Morkel, commonly known as Albie Morkel hasn’t played for CSK since 2013 but the impact he had in his 6 seasons with the side was immense. Prolific with both the bat and the ball, Morkel was one of the best all-rounders in the first few seasons in the IPL. Albie Morkel was mainly renowned for his bowling ability. He picked up 76 wickets in 78 matches for CSK. He also contributed 727 runs during his stint with CSK with a high strike rate close to 150. Morkel struck a record third-wicket partnership in the 2010 season along with Murali Vijay against the Rajasthan Royals. In 2012, he was the winner of the Super Sixes tournament, with a distance of 105m. During the 2012 edition, CSK faced a mammoth task of chasing 206 against RCB but Albie Morkel smashed Virat Kohli for 28 runs in a single over which gave them the victory from a very tough position in the game. He was released by CSK after the 2013 campaign. He went on to play a season each with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiants. In 2015, he smashed 73 runs off 55 balls against his former team CSK which included eight fours and one six. His explosiveness with the bat and a knack for picking up wickets during the death overs made him a household name among the CSK faithful.
Must Read | Top 5 records set by Chennai Super Kings
Ravindra Jadeja:
Jadeja is one of the best Indian all-rounders in the IPL. If there was ever a 3-dimensional cricketer, it would be Ravindra Jadeja as he can bat, bowl as well as field very well. His performance in IPL 2008 helped Rajasthan Royals to win the inaugural IPL trophy and earned him the nickname “Rockstar” by his captain Shane Warne. Following a few good seasons with the Royals, mainly with the bat, Chennai Super Kings decided to buy him for INR 9.8 crore which made him the most expensive player in that year’s auction. He has been much more impressive with his left-arm spin bowling since joining Chennai. Jaddu has constantly been among the wickets and has crossed the 10-wicket mark in each season while donning the yellow jersey. He also contributed with the bat whenever the team called upon him to do so. His best seasons with the bat came for Rajasthan Royals in 2009 and 2011. Surprisingly, he has never scored a 50 in IPL. All in all, Jadeja has scored 1927 runs and picked up 108 wickets in his IPL career. Jadeja was the third player to be retained by CSK in the 2018 mega auction, which shows how important he is for the team. Ravindra Jadeja has been MS Dhoni’s go-to man when the team needed a wicket. His presence gives Dhoni the extra leeway of playing an additional batsman if needed.
Ravichandran Ashwin:
Chennai Super Kings have been known for banking on their spinners and here is another spinner in this team. Having begun his career as an opening batsman at the youth level, Ashwin dropped down the order and turned into an off-spinner. Ashwin started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings in 2009 and following a string of good performances, earned his place in the Indian team. He picked up 13 and 20 wickets respectively in 2010 and 2011 as Chennai Super Kings went on to win two consecutive IPL titles. Since then, the off-spinner has picked up more than 10 wickets every year in the IPL. Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the smartest cricketers and he has often exploited his opponent’s weaknesses to get them dismissed. He is one of the few bowlers in recent years to be able to bowl the carrom ball consistently. Ashwin has taken 12 wickets in 139 matches.
Deepak Chahar:
This has to be the most questionable selection in the all-time XI. Deepak Chahar was rejected as a cricketer at the age of 16, but through pure hard work and a will power to succeed, Chahar found himself playing in the IPL in 2016. He was a part of Rising Pune Supergiant in his first two seasons in the IPL but he didn’t do anything notable. Chennai Super Kings decided to buy him in the 2018 auction. Chahar proved his worth by picking up 10 wickets in his first season with CSK as they won the IPL for the 3rd time and this was just a sign of what was to come in the future. In 2019, Chahar enjoyed a highly joyous campaign as he picked up 22 wickets. He came 3rd in the race for the purple cap, only behind CSK teammate Imran Tahir and his South African compatriot Kagiso Rabada. This meant that Chahar was the highest wicket-taking Indian bowler which saw him become a mainstay in T20I matches for India. MS Dhoni proved his immense game sense by utilizing Chahar’s skills to its full extent by making the Agra-born medium-pacer bowl primarily in the powerplay of the innings. Chahar’s ability to not concede fewer runs but also pick up early wickets was invaluable to the team.
Mohit Sharma :
Mohit Sharma was contracted by Chennai Super Kings in 2013 on the basis of his strong performances in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy where he picked up 37 wickets in 7 games. He made an instant impact and proved out to be a revelation, to say the least. He picked up 20 wickets in his debut season for the Yellow Army. He played 15 matches in the 2014 IPL and took 23 wickets which made him win the purple cap. He picked up 14 wickets in 2015, after which he was bought by Kings XI Punjab. He took 13 wickets in each of his 2 campaigns at KXIP. Just like a lot of players on this list, Mohit Sharma also made a return to CSK after the fulfillment of their ban. He didn’t have a particularly great second stint at CSK as he only managed to pick up 1 wicket in his sole game in 2019. Mohit Sharma has bagged 91 wickets in 85 matches in his IPL career, including a 4 wicket haul. Due to the lack of long term Indian fast bowlers in CSK’s ranks, he was a no-brainer in this team.
