5 players you didn’t know once played for Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

One of the greatest franchises of the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings won the title five times. Under the leadership of legendary MS Dhoni, CSK played 10 finals in the competition, which is a record in itself. 

The CSK franchise has built a reputation for backing their players through thick and thin as they don’t like chopping and changing. Because of this philosophy, not a lot of players have represented the franchise as they seldom use more than 18 in a season.

Meanwhile, some well-known players have featured for Chennai in their careers but could not impress and were eventually released. Some of those must have been forgotten. So, here’s a list of five players, you didn’t know once played for CSK.

5. Nuwan Kulasekara

Former Sri Lanka international Nuwan Kulasekara joined CSK in IPL 2011. He was signed for $100,000 but the team management did not give him enough opportunities in the first season. The now 42-year-old featured in only one game that season and picked up a solitary wicket at an economy rate of 8.66. 

Interestingly, Chennai did not part ways with the pacer after that season. He was handed more opportunities inext year but Kulasekera failed to leave a mark. The pacer played five matches in 2012, picking up four wickets at an economy rate of 6.71.

He was retained for IPL 2014 but the MS Dhoni-led side did not hand him any opportunity at all. Ben Hilfenhaus was the first-choice foreign pacer in the CSK squad as Kulasekara continued to warm the bench in the entire season. After that, he was released from the squad and never featured in the IPL.

4. Thisara Perera

Another Sri Lanka international who joined Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2010 was Thisara Perera. After missing out on the final in 2009, CSK brought in more all-rounders as they got Perera for $50,000. However, the 35-year-old played just one game in the season, bowling a solitary over. He was not retained  later as his CSK journey came to an end.

Later, Perera played for five other franchises in the IPL. However, could not last more than a season in any of the franchises. He represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011), Mumbai Indians (2012), Sunrisers Hyderabad (2013), Punjab Kings (2015) and Rising Pune Supergiants (2016). He wasn’t picked in the 2014 season.

Overall, he played 37 games in the cash-rich league, picking up 31 wickets and scoring 422 runs at an average of 19.18. He is not in the scheme of things as far as Sri Lankan team is concerned at the moment but he continues to feature in various franchise leagues.

3. George Bailey

Current Australia chief selector George Bailey joined Chennai Super Kings in 2009. He was bought for $50,000 in the auction and played just three games. He made 45 runs at a strike rate of 115.38 and was expected to be released.

However, CSK decided to give him another shot  by retaining him in 2010. Although he was given only one game, in which he made 18 runs. CSK decided to release him ahead of the 2011 mega-auction.

Bailey then joined Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2014 and was made the captain of the team. Under his leadership, the franchise qualified for the final but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the summit clash. He was part of Punjab in the 2015 season as well but was released after that. He joined Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016.

2. Vijay Shankar

All-rounder Vijay Shankar was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad during IPL 2014. He was considered by the franchise for his huge potential and the native all-rounder impressed the Chennai management as they signed him for INR 10 lakh. His all-round skill was expected to be tested in the tournament but Chennai did not give him enough opportunities.

Shankar played only one game that season and did not get a chance to bat. He bowled an over and leaked 19 runs. He was never considered again by CSK. Shankar joined Sunrisers Hyderabad later on and then went to Delhi Capitals before returning to Hyderabad. In the last three years, Shankar played for Gujarat Titans.

Overall, he has featured in 72 games in the cash-rich league and scored 1115 runs at a strike rate of 129.80. He also has nine wickets to his name in the tournament.

1. Andrew Flintoff

Flamboyance is the perfect word to describe Andrew Flintoff. He was one of the poster boys of the England team alongside Kevin Pietersen and remains one of the best all-rounders of all time. Chennai Super Kings spent INR 9.8 crore to sign him, making him one of the richest players in the IPL. He was also earning more than MS Dhoni at one point.

However, Flintoff did n’t have a very good time as he played only three games in the season, scoring 62 runs at a strike rate of 116.98 and picking up only two wickets. The all-rounder injured his knee during the tournament and had to leave for England. It also created a massive controversy in the IPL, concerning Financial Fairplay. Flintoff never returned to India for the IPL.