CSK All Captains List: How Many Players Have Captained Chennai Super Kings in IPL?
CSK is the only franchise who is yet to be led by a foreigner.
Chennai Super Kings are arguably the most consistent team in the Indian Premier League. The Yellow Army established itself as the powerhouse in the inaugural season itself. They finished as the runners-up in the first season. Despite playing 13 of 15 IPL seasons (CSK were suspended for two seasons in 2016 and 2017), the Super Kings have been a part of the record nine finals.
The Chennai-based franchise has also reached playoffs in 11 seasons. They have won four IPL championships after appearing in nine finals, the 2nd-most after Mumbai Indians. The Super Kings from Chennai were the first team in history to successfully defend their title by winning back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011.
They began their journey under the leadership of the legendary skipper MS Dhoni and he has been their permanent captain ever since. In 2022, the veteran relinquished the captaincy but he was handed over the captaincy duties back after CSK’s poor run in the 15th edition of the mega-league.
Here we are going to talk about each player who has had the honour to lead the Yellow Army across the fifteen seasons of the IPL.
In this article, we will take a look at CSK’s all-captains in IPL history:
MS Dhoni (2008 – Present)
Ever since the very first CSK game in the IPL, the Thala has been synonymous with the franchise. He is the captain with the most number of games in the mega-league. MS Dhoni has captained Chennai Super Kings in 196 matches, including the 2022 season, managing 118 wins, 77 losses, and one match was abandoned because of rain.
Under MSD’s leadership, the Yellow Army has won four IPL championships, including back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. After missing the two seasons in 2016 and 2017 because of a two-year ban after the betting scandal, Chennai Super Kings made an explosive comeback by winning the IPL in 2018. MS Dhoni then guided the CSK to their 4th title in 2021.
The veteran skipper resigned from the captaincy ahead of the IPL 2022 keeping the future in mind and Ravindra Jadeja was appointed the new skipper of the franchise. However, the move didn’t work as the left-arm spinner handed over the captaincy back to MS Dhoni following a poor string of results. Then, MS Dhoni captained CSK in the last six matches of the 2022 season.
Suresh Raina (2010 – 2019)
Mr IPL was the main catalyst of CSK’s success over the years. The left-handed southpaw is the leading run-getter for the Chennai-based franchise with 4687 runs in 176 IPL games. The Chinna Thala has served as the deputy to MS Dhoni during his IPL career and had captained the Yellow Army in 5 matches. The CSK managed only a single win in those games.
Ravindra Jadeja (2022)
The left-handed spin all-rounder was appointed the CSK skipper ahead of the IPL 2022 to ensure a smooth transition from MS Dhoni. However, it turned out to be a disaster for the four-time champions. Chennai Super Kings began their season with four consecutive losses and won only two games out of their first eight games.
Once CSK’s elimination was ensured after the first 8 games, Ravindra Jadeja resigned from the captaincy and handed over the leadership duties back to MS Dhoni.
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