5 Greatest Chennai Super Kings players in IPL history. (Source – Twitter/X)
With five IPL titles to its name, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the joint-most successful franchises in history. They have been the most consistent team in the IPL, having played 10 finals in the competition. Over the years, the franchise has hosted multiple legendary cricketers including Matthew Hayden, Muthiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini and Ravichandran Ashwin among others and each of these cricketers has contributed heavily to CSK’s success.
They are one franchise that believes in sticking with the same players through thick and thin and for the same reason, CSK are considered to be one of the greatest in the business. Their camaraderie off the field can be seen on the pitch as well, and that’s one of the reasons behind them being five-time champions. Meanwhile, here’s a take on CSK’s five greatest players in history.
5. Faf du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis. (Source – Getty Images)
The likes of Ambati Rayudu, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shane Watson were in contention for the fifth spot but it was hard for them to get past Faf du Plessis. The former South Africa international was an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings, and they tried to bring him back into the set-up in 2022 but couldn’t match Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s price. However, the cricketer still represents multiple Super Kings-based franchises in T20 leagues around the globe.
He joined the team in 2012 for INR 60 lakhs. Since then, he has played a vital role for the team, having scored 2721 runs in 92 matches at a strike rate of 131.44. The 40-year-old is still the third-leading run-scorer for them in IPL history. Apart from that, he is third on the list of most half-centuries for CSK in the marquee tournament and has won three IPL titles for the franchise.
4. Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo. (Source – IPL/BCCI)
Former West Indies international Dwayne Bravo is one of the greatest overseas players to play for Chennai. He has represented the franchise in 116 matches and picked up 140 wickets and scored 1004 runs at a strike rate of 137.15. Notably, he joined the franchise during IPL 2011 mega-auction for US$200 and was part of the squad till 2015. He rejoined in 2018 and played five more seasons for them.
Bravo also holds the record for most wickets for CSK in IPL history. He won the Purple Cap in 2013 and in 2015 and has been part of three title-winning campaigns. After his retirement, the 41-year-old was named as the bowling coach of Chennai and recently, he switched sides to become the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
3. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina. (Source – Getty Images)
Popularly known as ‘Chinna Thala’, Suresh Raina played 176 matches for Chennai Super Kings and scored 4687 runs at a strike rate of 136.88. He is currently the leading run-scorer for the franchise and played a vital role in helping the team win three IPL trophies. Apart from that, he has also won two Champions Trophies with Chennai.
Raina was Dhoni’s deputy for the longest time. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, when CSK were banned from IPL, the southpaw moved to Gujarat Lions – a team he captained for two seasons and in 2016, they were at the top of the table after the league stage.
The 37-year-old finished as CSK’s leading run-scorer on three occasions – 2008, 2010 and 2012. He was IPL’s leading run-scorer for several years before star batter Virat Kohli overtook him. Currently, he is the fifth-leading run-scorer in IPL history with 5528 runs to his name. He also has a century in the competition, which he hit against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2013.
2. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja. (Source – Getty Images)
Ravindra Jadeja is still an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings squad. He joined the franchise in 2012 for INR 9.8 crore and since then, the franchise never released him. The all-rounder was also named as CSK captain in the 2022 season after Dhoni stepped down but his record as a leader wasn’t great and following which, the cricketer decided to relinquish captaincy.
He was reported to have a fallout with Dhoni, and there were speculations of Jadeja leaving CSK. However, the franchise managed to convince the 35-year-old to continue and in the following season, Jadeja won them the trophy by scoring 10 runs off the last two deliveries in the final against Gujarat Titans.
Notably, he is also retained for INR 18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025. Overall, he has played 172 games in the CSK outfit in the IPL and scored 1897 runs at a strike rate of 136.18. With the ball, he has 146 wickets to his name for CSK. Jadeja also holds a unique IPL record as he is the only cricketer to score more than 2000 runs in the competition and pick 150 wickets. The Gujarat-born is also joint-third in the list of most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in the league’s history.
1. MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni. (Source – Getty Images)
What Sachin Tendulkar is to Mumbai, Sourav Ganguly is to Kolkata, MS Dhoni is the same to Chennai. He was born in Ranchi but Chennai adopted him and made him their Thala! He was CSK’s first recruit during the 2008 mega-auction and since then, there was not even the slightest doubt of looking beyond Dhoni. He was made the captain and the keeper-batter elevated CSK to newer heights, helping them win five titles.
Notably, Dhoni has played 234 matches for CSK and won 137 of them. He has scored 4669 runs for the franchise and is their second-leading run-scorer in history. Apart from that, the 43-year-old also holds the record for most dismissals (190), played most matches as captain (133), and is the player with the most wins (152) in the competition history.
The veteran has been retained for IPL 2025 as well. He has been registered in the uncapped category for INR 4 crore and will be hoping to win more titles to become the player with the most IPL trophies in history. He is two short of the iconic number seven.