Going by statistics, Mumbai Indians is the most successful team in the Indian Premier League, for they have lifted the trophy four times. But by sheer consistency, Chennai Super Kings is ahead of everyone else. Despite not being a part of the tournament for a couple of seasons, they have won the tournament thrice.
They hold a plethora of impressive records. They have made it to the finals eight times, and also boast of the best win percentage of all teams. The success mantra of the ‘Yellow Army’ has been simple – they hold on to their best players. Twisting and turning is not a CSK thing, which is a reason why their best XI of all time is a compact list of superstars who have given their all for the jersey. Let us have a look at CSK’s best XI of all time:
Openers – Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden
Unlike teams like Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, who took time to settle in this competition, CSK has been dominating since the first season. A very crucial reason behind their glorious years of 2009 and 2010 is the opening partnership of Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden. Vijay has been a very reliable customer, having scored over 1600 runs for the franchise at an average of over 25. But Hayden was even better, scoring 1107 runs in just three seasons. He maintained a staggering average of 36.9.
Top-order – Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath
Recently retired Indian batsman Suresh Raina, affectionately called ‘Chinna Thala’ by CSK loyalists, has been the mainstay of their batting lineup over the years. Having scored 4527 runs, he is the highest run-scorer of all time for his franchise. Another Indian top-order batsman, who often did not get as much credit as he deserved, is Subramaniam Badrinath. The calm and composed custodian has scored 1441 runs for the team, with an average of over 30. To complete our list, we have Michael Hussey, who has been a part of the franchise from the first season till 2015. His average in CSK colours is 42, which is more than even Raina’s. He has scored 1768 runs for the team.
Middle-order – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo
A Chennai Super Kings will definitely not be complete if Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not on it. Bought by the franchise in the inaugural edition, he has been the prime architect of the Rome that CSK built. In batting terms, he has scored over 3800 runs for them. Next on our list is Caribbean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who joined the side in 2011. Having taken 104 wickets, he is CSK’s highest wicket-taker so far. Two places below him is all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who joined the men from South in 2012. He has picked up 81 wickets for them so far.
Bowlers – Ravichandran Ashwin, Albie Morkel, Lakshmipathy Balaji
From the best XI we have selected, every single player is either still with CSK, or is not a part of the competition anymore. The only exception here is Ravichandra Ashwin, who after CSK, went on to lead Kings XI Punjab. But it goes without saying, his most joyous moments came in a yellow shirt. He has taken 90 wickets for CSK, the most after Bravo. CSK’s fourth-highest wicket-taker is Albie Morkel, the South African all-rounder. Though the last time he wore the yellow jersey was back in 2013, his tally of 76 wickets is supassed by only 3 players. Though Lakshmipathy Balaji won the IPL with KKR as well, he was exceptional for CSK in the three players he played for them. He has picked up 31 wickets in the yellow shirt.
