Chennai Super Kings is undoubtedly the most consistent franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. The MS Dhoni-led outfit has played ten seasons in the league and qualified for the second round in all of them.
CSK has also won three IPL championships, second only to Mumbai Indians. Speaking of Chennai’s IPL history, they had finished as the runners-up of IPL 2008. Rajasthan Royals defeated them in a closely contested final match.
Besides, CSK had played their first ever IPL game against KXIP, a high-scoring encounter that ended in Chennai’s favor. In this article, we will look at those players who turned up for CSK in that match and where are they now.
Parthiv Patel and Matthew Hayden
Parthiv Patel opened the innings for Chennai Super Kings in that match against Kings XI Punjab. The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman scored 15 runs off 10 balls and helped the team get off to a good start. Patel is still actively playing cricket. Besides playing domestic cricket for Gujarat, he also plays for RCB in IPL.
Australian legend Matthew Hayden scored a 17-ball 25 for CSK and hit four fours and one six in his inning. Hayden had a fantastic IPL career as he even won the IPL Orange Cap award for CSK. Hayden has retired from cricket now. He is working as a commentator in the Australian matches. He is also an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni
Michael Hussey became the first-ever CSK batsman to score a hundred in the IPL during the team’s opening match only. The left-handed batsman from Australia scored an unbeaten 116* to help CSK win the match. Like Matthew Hayden, Hussey has retired from all forms of cricket now. He works as a cricket expert and has also tried his hand in the coaching department. Hussey was appointed as batting coach of CSK in 2018.
The 2007 T20 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni had a poor start to his IPL career as he could only score two runs off three balls for CSK. Dhoni came out to bat at the number and got dismissed by James Hopes. Dhoni played his last international cricket match in 2019. He will make his comeback to the field for CSK in IPL 2020.
Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath
Suresh Raina is nicknamed as the Chinna Thala of CSK because of his extraordinary performances for the franchise. Raina batted at number five against Punjab, scoring 32 runs for the team. Raina has lost his place in the Indian cricket team, but the all-rounder is looking to return after performing well in IPL 2020.
Subramaniam Badrinath will go down as the most underrated talent in Indian cricket history. The right-handed batsman amassed over 10,000 runs in FC cricket, but he never received enough opportunities at the international level. Badrinath scored 31 off 14 for Chennai in IPL 2008 against Punjab. He has retired from cricket now and is working as a commentator.
Jacob Oram and Muralitharan
Former New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram turned up for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2008. The all-rounder scored 13 runs off 10 balls for Chennai and even opened the bowling for them. Oram finished with figures of 0/37 after four overs. The Kiwi player played his last IPL season for Mumbai Indians in 2013. He is currently working as the coach of Manawatu cricket team.
Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan began his IPL journey with the CSK team in 2008. He picked up the wicket of his compatriot Kumar Sangakkara on his IPL debut. The right-arm offie retired from all forms of cricket and tried his hand in coaching. He joined Cricket Association of Bengal as a spin consultant before joining SRH coaching staff. Muralitharan also worked as a consultant for the Australian cricket team.
Joginder Sharma and Manpreet Gony
The hero of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan, Joginder Sharma played his first IPL match for CSK in 2008. Sharma did not get a chance to bat, but he picked up the crucial wicket of Yuvraj Singh with the ball. Sharma has moved away from the world of cricket now as he is working as a police officer in Haryana.
Manpreet Gony was a talent unearthed by CSK. After his terrific performances for MS Dhoni’s team, Gony even earned a place in the Indian cricket team. However, his inconsistency led to his exit from the international side. Gony announced his retirement last year and played in the Global T20 Canada League along with Yuvraj Singh.
Palani Amarnath
Very few cricket fans may remember that even Palani Amarnath was a part of CSK’s first ever IPL playing XI. The right-arm medium pacer bowled four overs in the match and dismissed James Hopes.
However, his career dipped soon as he has been away from the IPL for years now. Amarnath played his last competitive match for Madurai SG in TNPL 2017.
