Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been one of the most successful franchises in the history of the league. With as many as three IPL titles in the ten years of their participation, CSK has certainly been the team to beat in the history of the IPL.
When experts questioned their abilities to even survive in the race for the final four upon their return in IPL 2018, the Dhoni-led team came up trumps, defying all the odds to emerge proud winners in 2018. Every time when CSK has been doubted, the team has responded as a unit with results in their favor.
In this day and age of Social media, while almost nothing remains hidden about a franchise in the IPL, here’s an attempt to present three astonishing facts about CSK.
1. Only franchise to feature in over 150+ IPL games with only two captains:
Chennai Super Kings has exhibited consistency not only in terms of their on-field performances but also with their personnel in the IPL squad over the years. In all these years in the IPL, CSK has managed to play 165 matches.
And in all these games, the franchise has either been led by MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina. Dhoni has led CSK in 160 games while Raina has donned the skipper’s hat on the other five occasions. This is the least number of captains that a team has ever had with over 150 appearances in IPL history.
2. CSK is the only team to win Purple Cap in three consecutive IPL editions:
Chennai’s performances have also reflected in personal accolades for its players at various junctures in the IPL. The ‘Men in Yellow’ is the only team to win the Purple Cap award for most wickets on three consecutive occasions in the IPL history.
In 2013 and 2015, Dwayne Bravo was the proud recipient of the award with 32 and 26 wickets respectively in the IPL season. And in 2014, Mohit Sharma bagged the prestigious award for picking 23 wickets in the entire season.
3. CSK is the only team to defend its IPL title along with two consecutive fair play awards:
In IPL 2011, Chennai became the first and the only team to date to defend their IPL title. After winning the IPL trophy in 2010, CSK continued to exhibit dominance ad went on to claim the trophy for a second consecutive year in the IPL. Not only did they defend their IPL title, but they also managed to win the Fair Play award on both occasions in IPL 2010 and 2011. It was indicative of the spirit of cricket shown by the team for a period of two consecutive years,
