Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is also called the Yellow Army and Comeback Super Kings by their fans. This has been one of the most victorious squads in the journey of the Indian Premier League. Guided by the GOAT MS Dhoni himself, this team is known to arise out of losses and set a benchmark by conquering it all. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has played in the IPL 14 seasons , out of which, they entered the playoffs in 12 seasons! That’s not all, the squad has also played in the finals 10 times! This success tale of evolving as one of the most pleasing, prosperous, and respectable teams in the IPL started in the year 2008.
| Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
| Coach: Stephen Fleming |
| Home Ground: M. A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Chepauk Stadium) |
| IPL Titles: 5 (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) |
| Owners: Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd. |
CSK IPL 2024 Squad
CSK IPL 2024 Matches
Chennai Super Kings will kick start their 2024 IPL season, when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on 22nd March. Men in yellow then clash off against their runner-up of 2023 IPL season, Gujarat Titans in their second match of the season at their home ground in Chennai. CSK then travel to Vishakapatnam to take on Delhi Capitals on 31st March and against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 5th April in Hyderabad. The remaining games are yet to be announced.
| Date | Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22nd March | 7:30 PM | CSK vs RCB | Chennai |
| 26th March | 7:30 PM | CSK vs GT | Chennai |
| 31st March | 7:30 PM | DC vs CSK | Vizag |
| 5th April | 7:30 PM | SRH vs CSK | Hyderabad |
| 8th April | 7:30 PM | CSK vs KKR | Chennai |
| 14th April | 7:30 PM | MI vs CSK | Mumbai |
| 19th April | 7:30 PM | LSG vs CSK | Lucknow |
| 23rd April | 7:30 PM | CSK vs LSG | Chennai |
| 28th April | 7:30 PM | CSK vs SRH | Chennai |
| 1st May | 7:30 PM | CSK vs PBKS | Chennai |
| 5th May | 3:30 PM | PBKS vs CSK | Dharamsala |
| 10th May | 7:30 PM | GT vs CSK | Ahmedabad |
| 12th May | 3:30 PM | CSK vs RR | Chennai |
| 18th May | 7:30 PM | RCB vs CSK | Bengaluru |
History of CSK in IPL
In 2008, India Cements was the company that invested $91 million to buy the CSK franchise. They had the rights to the franchise as CSK Owner for a span of a decade. In the very first season’s bidding, MS Dhoni was traded to the franchise for $1.5 million. He rose as the most pricey player in that season of the IPL.
After a loss in the final of IPL 2008, the squad again lost the semi-final of 2009. In the forthcoming 4 years, Chennai’s team saw its best, only to end up in the direst situations. A spot-fixing disgrace caused the team to be barred for two years. But when they made a comeback in 2018, supporters came in masses to support their team for CSK matches. The team smashed records and thanked their fan base by bagging the IPL championship. Then, they saw many dramatic ups and downs, and a specifically low season in 2022. Eventually, CSK ceased the IPL 2023 with a thrilling last-ball win in the final match.
The Highs
Chennai Super Kings were coming back to the IPL competition after a break of 2 years. This is when they etched their story as a team that is not afraid of setbacks. The team had many players who were above 30! Hence, CSK was laughed upon not only by netizens but also by numerous cricket specialists. They were called the “Dad’s Army,” and the fitness levels of the players were also questioned. But in this season, it was observed that in every match, a new hero emerged in the IPL. They silenced their haters by winning the IPL title with that very team!
The Lows
CSK saw its lows during the suspension period. Another low came when MS Dhoni was not in form. Furthermore, when Dhoni decided to step down, Jadeja was crowned as the captain of the team. But this did not last for long, and after a series of defeats, Jaddu gave back the captaincy to MS, and was later ruled out of the league because of an injury.
Season by Season Performance of CSK
It has been a long journey of 14 seasons in the IPL for the men in yellow. They as a team have produced some of the most magical performances over the years. CSK is known for its consistency and disciplined cricket. We will take you through the journey of the most successful team in the IPl starting from their debut season in 2008 to their championship run in the 2023 IPL season. Gear up to rejoice the memories of your most beloved team.
2008 – Runner-up
Among the 14 matches in the round-robin format, the Chennai Super Kings won 8 matches. Then, they defeated the team of Punjab in the semis. But, the odds were not in their favour as they were handed defeat by the Rajasthan Royals in the finals.
2009 – 4th Place
This version of the Indian Premier League was hosted by South Africa. Despite the amazing efforts of Hayden and Raina in the league stage, CSK was ruled out of the semi-finals by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
2010 – Champions (1st title)
In the IPL 2010, cricket fans got to see the amazing CSK vs MI Final. Dhoni was among the top performers in the contest! He also became the heartthrob of the Chennai fans. This was the first juncture when Chennai’s team brought home an IPL trophy!
2011 – Champion (2nd title)
In the 2011 IPL Season, CSK did not lose a single match at M.A Chidambaram Stadium, the AnbuDen! The star bowler of this season was R Ashwin, along with some top knocks by M Vijay with an amazing strike rate nearing 182. This year, CSK won the IPL title for the second time.
2012 – Runner Up
During the league matches, Chennai Super Kings had 8 wins. Again, Vijay became the hero and helped beat Delhi Daredevils to enter the finals. But sadly, they could not outsmart Kolkata Knight Riders and finished the season as runners-up.
2013 – Runner up
Entering the qualifier was a cakewalk for the team, with seven back-to-back wins. In the CSK vs MI battle, they were unfortunately sent back home without a trophy.
2014 – 3rd Place
The season began in Abu Dhabi, with CSK losing their inaugural match against Punjab. But their league journey was a perfect contrast, with an amazing winning streak. The matches were eventually played in Ranchi, and Raina scored very well in the second qualifier. However, his efforts went in vain!
2015 – Runner up
2015 again saw the MS Dhoni-led team get the runners-up tag. They had many commendable wins at the Chepauk Stadium, but, yet again, Mumbai saw the winning end of the CSK vs MI Final.
2016, 2017 – Suspension of CSK
The involvement in spot fixing by the franchise owners of Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 IPL season led to their downfall. The team was banned for two years by the league commissioner. It was an emotional moment for all the fans as their couldn’t cheer for the best team in the IPL for two seasons. The teams star players all had to play for other franchises during the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons.
2018 – Champions (3rd title)
After a two year suspension Chennai Super Kings roared back to the league as the champions. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni CSK reached new heights by winning their third IPL season. Shane Watson (555 runs), Ambati Rayudu (602 runs), MS Dhoni (455 runs), Suresh Raina (445 runs) and Shardul Thakur (16 wickets) played key role in the teams success.
Faf du Plessis unbeaten half century (67*) vs SRH in qualifier 1 and Shane Watson scintillating hundred (117 runs in 57 balls) in the final were the top knocks for CSK. The men in yellow etched their name in the history books by becoming the 2nd IPL team to win three IPL trophies, a season where all the players of CSK got emotional and where the fans rejoiced the most.
2019 – Runner up
This was the 5th instance in the history of the IPL that Chennai Super Kings was the 2nd team in the points table. They were conquered by Mumbai by merely a run in the last match of the season!
2020 – 7th Place
Both their superstars Raina and Harbhajan Singh were not participating in this season of the tournament. And CSK has never finished so low in the points table ever. They had 8 losses and ended up seeing the worst defeat in the championship ever.
2021 – Champions (4th title)
With the phenomenal opening partnership of Rituraj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis, CSK were able to make another comeback to this tournament. This time, they beat KKR by 27 runs and ceased the win for the fourth time!
2022 – 9th Place
2022 was worse than 2020 for the Chennai Super Kings. They had some special moments by pioneering as the Indian unicorn sports enterprise and also launched a new jersey, paying tribute to the Indian Army. But in the field, it was all thorns for the Chennai Super Kings as they won only 4 out of 14 matches, and saw the shifting of captaincy from the beloved Thala to Jaddu and then again back to Thala.
2023 – Champions (5th title)
CSK equalled their classic rivals Mumbai Indians by winning the title for the fifth time in 2023. As they say, every time CSK sees lows, it bounces back to newer highs! Conway, their star batter, scored more than 600 runs, and Jadeja also left an amazing impression in the hearts of the fans! The 2023 IPL final (CSK vs GT) was a special one for CSK and MS Dhoni.
| Season | Performance |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Champions (5th title) |
| 2022 | 9th Place |
| 2021 | Champions (4th title) |
| 2020 | 7th Place |
| 2019 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
| 2018 | Champions (3rd title) |
| 2015 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
| 2014 | 3rd Place |
| 2013 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
| 2012 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
| 2011 | Champion (2nd title) |
| 2010 | Champion (1st title) |
| 2009 | 4th Place |
| 2008 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
Top 5 Run-Scorers for CSK
Over the years Chennai Super Kings has had some of the finest batsman in their ranks. Suresh Raina also known as Chinna Thala has been the best batsman for CSK. Raina has scored 4687 runs in 176 matches for Chennai Super Kings and is the leading run-scorer for the men in yellow. MS Dhoni has hugely contributed with the bat for CSK and has amassed 4508 runs in 220 matches. Faf du Plessis (2721 runs in 92 matches), Ambati Rayudu (1932 runs in 90 matches) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (1768 runs in 52 matches) are the other top run-scorers for CSK.
- Suresh Raina – 4687 runs in 176 matches
- MS Dhoni – 4508 runs in 220 matches
- Faf du Plessis – 2721 runs in 92 matches
- Ambati Rayudu – 1932 runs in 90 matches
- Ruturaj Gaikwad – 1768 runs in 52 matches
Top 5 Wicket Takers for CSK
The champion of T20 cricket Dwayne Bravo is the leading wicket taker for CSK with 140 wickets in 116 matches. Bravo has played over 10 seasons for CSK and is one arguable one of the best players to represent CSK. Ravindra Jadeja is the highest wicket taker amongst the active players for CSk, Jaddu has picked up 125 wickets in 158 matches and is the best wicket taker of all time for the franchise. Local boy and former CSK player Ravichandran Ashwin with 90 wickets in 97 matches stands at 3rd place in the all-time wicket takers list for the men in yellow. Albie Morkel with 76 wickets in 78 matches and Deepak Chahar with 71 wickets in 68 matches stand in 4th and 5th place.
- Dwayne Bravo – 140 wickets in 116 matches
- Ravindra Jadeja – 125 wickets in 158 matches
- Ravichandran Ashwin – 90 wickets in 97 matches
- Albie Morkel – 76 wickets in 78 matches
- Deepak Chahar – 71 wickets in 68 matches
FAQ’s
How many championships has CSK won in IPL?
CSK won five IPL championships (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023).
How many IPL finals has CSK played?
CSK appeared in 10 IPL finals (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023).
Who has scored most runs for CSK in IPL?
Suresh Raina (4687 runs in 176 matches) has scored most runs for CSK in IPL.
Who is the leading wicket-taker for CSK in IPL?
Dwayne Bravo (140 wickets in 116 matches) is the leading wicket-taker for CSK.
How many matches has MS Dhoni played for CSK?
MS Dhoni has played 220 matches and scored 4508 runs for CSK.
