Chennai Super Kings is the most successful team in the Indian Premier League. They have been a remarkably consistent side. The Super Kings are 5-time Champions and 5-time Runners-ups. Mahendra Singh Dhoni captains the team. Here, we will talk about their history and the reasons that put them ahead of other teams.
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History
Season 2008: In 2008, CSK bought MS Dhoni as the costliest player of the auction and named him the skipper. They started well in the inaugural season but ended up as Runners-Ups.
Season 2009: In the 2009 season, CSK had significant blows from the start. Their top pick Andrew Flintoff was injured and played only 3 matches. On the other hand, Michael Hussey also skipped due to The Ashes’ preparation. Still, they made it to the Semi-Finals, where RCB defeated them.
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Season 2010: This season proved to be the first time CSK lifted the IPL Trophy as they defeated MI in the final. It was a successful year for CSK as they also won the Champions League T20.
Season 2011: 2011 CSK won the IPL Trophy consecutively for the second time. They also achieved the feat of winning all their home games. They defeated RCB in the final.
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Season 2012: In 2012, they went much close to the hat-trick of trophies as they ended as the Runners-up. They lost to KKR in the final. A notable signing came for them in 2012 as they signed Ravindra Jadeja.
Season 2013: This season marked their 4th consecutive appearance in the IPL Final. They lost to MI in the final.
Season 2014: In 2014, The Super Kings bought the likes of Brendon McCullum, Faf Du Plessis and Ashish Nehra, among others. They reached the playoffs stage, but their journey ended in Qualifier.
Season 2015: In the 2015 season, they again reached the final, losing to Mumbai.
Season 2016-2017: CSK was suspended for two years due to the involvement of its owners in the betting case. In this way, they missed the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Season 2018: CSK returned strongly in 2018 and won their 3rd IPL Title when they defeated SRH in the final.
Season 2019: It was the 8th IPL Final for CSK in 2019. They lost to MI in the final and ended as Runners-Up.
Season 2020: This year marked the first time CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Season 2021: After a bad season in 2020, CSK regained their reputation and won their 4th IPL Trophy by beating KKR in the final.
Season 2022: CSK became the first Indian Unicorn Sports Enterprise in 2022. Jadeja captained CSK in the first 8 matches, losing 6 of them. Then Dhoni became captain again. However, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for only 2nd time in history.
Season 2023: The most season of IPL (2023) witnessed the 5th IPL Trophy win by CSK. They defeated GT in the final. Ambati Rayudu announced his retirement from IPL, while Dhoni said he would try to play another season as a gift for the fans.
Why CSK is Successful?
There are number of reason for CSK’s success. We will explain them one by one.
- The Captain Cool
CSK’s success story is incomplete without MS Dhoni. He has been leading the team since the inception of the IPL. He is the most successful Indian captain. He has performed as a batter and wicket-keeper alongside his leadership skills. He knows how to handle pressure conditions with a calm head, and he does all that without doing anything out of character. Due to him, the whole team looks calm and composed during crucial matches.
- Player Retentions Strategy
One of the brilliant strategies the Chennai Super Kings possesses is the retention of their core players. We have seen them having 5-6 players in mind, and they keep them in their squad every year. The top examples are MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. They have been part of the yellow squad for years. Dhoni has been their skipper since the very first IPL season. They have Dwayne Bravo for a more extended period.
- Brilliant Local Names
CSK has always been blessed with some of the most potent local players. These include Dhoni, Jadeja, Raina, Ashwin and Murali Vijay. All these have played a vital role in the overall team’s success. It also contains some youngsters like Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has been their consistent performer in the previous few years. He has groomed himself well with the CSK squad. In addition, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu have done an excellent job for the team.
- Impactful All-Rounders
All-Rounders are a vital part of T20 Cricket. We have seen some quality all-rounders in CSK over the years. Ravindra Jadeja is on the top. Dhoni likes to have seam-bowling all-rounders in the squad. That’s why we have previously seen Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Andrew Flintoff and Irfan Pathan as a part of yellow-storm.
- Top Openers
CSK never hesitates to pick a ravishing opening duo. Mostly, we have seen them picking up the most destructive openers. They started their IPL history by picking Mathew Hayden in the initial seasons. Then there was Michael Hussy, who filled the space well. After him, they picked Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, who did a commendable job for the team. Shane Watson had given his brilliant services to CSK. The openers were their highest run-getters this year as well. The duo of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad exceeded all expectations and did a brilliant job.
- Greatest Spinners
CSK has always been a spinners-dependent team. Their squad had legend Muttiah Muralitharan in the first three seasons. His spell was impactful in the IPL 2010 final, where CSK won their first Trophy. Ravichandran Ashwin is their all-time great spinner. He played for CSK between 2008 and 2015. Ravindra Jadeja has been their crucial factor from 2013 till now. He has 120+ wickets for them. Imran Tahir has been part of the yellow storm from 2018 to 2021, winning two Titles in the process. Spinners have always been a backbone for CSK.
Conclusion
The success of CSK is all based on one mind, MS Dhoni. He picked top players from India and International players’ pool every season. He knew how to use the local players, youngsters, and international players which is one thing that standout among all.
