IPL: 5 players you never knew were part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Over the years, the Chennai Super Kings – CSK have done their scouting pretty well and spotted some amazing talents in the Indian and foreign domestic circuit. The franchise has had a tremendous visionary and a leader in MS Dhoni for such a long period of time and that definitely helped them grow in stature.

The Chennai Super Kings have always believed in having a strong Indian core besides the outstanding quality that the foreigners bring. From their first-ever season till their most recent appearance, they have been successful in coming up with a squad decent enough to make it to the playoffs and they are expected to continue that as long as MS Dhoni is playing.

Even for a team like CSK who get their strategies so well spot on, it is not possible for them to keep hold of players who don’t fit into their plans despite the amazing talent they possess. Here are some players from previous CSK squads who were never remembered for their time in the yellow jersey.

1. Arun Karthik

Not a lot of things went as per his plans as far as Arun Karthik is concerned, but to have hit a six off the last ball off the game with the exact runs needed, to see his side qualify into the semifinals was nothing short of extraordinary. The right-handed batsman from Tamil Nadu is predominantly known for his stint with RCB, but he did represent CSK in the first edition.

He was just 22 years of age when the Super Kings picked him up in the draft, but he never could make an appearance for them in the first three seasons. He remained on the bench for a whopping three seasons before the Royal Challengers roped him in for the 2011 edition.

After a disappointing stint in the IPL, Arun Karthik shifted from Tamil Nadu to represent Kerala in the domestic circuit. He moved there in 2013 and played for them in six seasons, before moving to Puducherry just before the ongoing season started.

2. Hemang Badani

A former Indian cricketer, Hemang Badani was previously a part of the Tests in four matches and played 40 ODIs for the country. He had signed up for Indian Cricket League in 2007 having last played an international fixture in 2004. ICL didn’t prove to be a great experience for him and quit the tournament, making himself available for IPL.

Badani was picked in the 2010 draft by Chennai Super Kings, a fact not many individuals know. He remained in the sidelines and kept watching the games unfold but unfortunately, his chance never arrived. Despite being a technically sound batsman and handy fielder, his selection in the XI just never happened.

He also scored over 6,700 runs in FC cricket playing for Tamil Nadu and is one of the top run-scorers for the state in this tournament. He never had a chance to play in the tournament and eventually retired from the game.

3. Akila Dananjaya

The current Sri Lankan leg-spinner, who famously took a six-fer against India a couple of years ago, Akila Dananjaya has been one of the mystery spinners for them. He made early in-roads in his career when Mahela Jayawardene spotted him bowl and was picked up in the Wayamba United side.

Dananjaya then went on to get an IPL contract in 2013, at the age of 19. Not many are aware of the fact that he was a part of the 3-time winning side, especially having represented CSK’s greatest rivals Mumbai Indians in 2018. But by the time he made it to the MI unit, he was pretty famous.

In November 2018, his action was reported to the ICC during a Test against England and was eventually banned from bowling unit further notice. In February 2019, the ban was lifted when he cleared all the required rounds in Chennai.

4. Jason Holder

Perhaps a shocker for many, but Jason Holder’s first-experience in the Indian Premier League came with the Chennai Super Kings. The current Windies captain and one of the most productive all-rounders in the current business, Holder has gone on to achieve great success and name individually, but not so much as the national captain.

Holder was just 19 years old when he was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings in 2013 and was with them for that one season. He later went on to represent Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and 2015, before playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018.

Despite all the accolades he has achieved as an international cricketer or in other leagues, Holder could never find that touch in the IPL and hence, he found no buyers in the 2019 edition. He will be in the auction once again for the 2020 edition but the chances of him finding buyers are pretty less.

5. Andrew Tye

Andre Tye is one of the few elite cricketers lucky enough to win the purple cap in the tournament, which he did in 2018 while playing for the Kings XI Punjab. He also has a hat-trick to his name, which he picked up in the 2017 edition while representing the Gujarat Lions.

But before all of that, Tye was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings in 2015 when he was beginning to churn out some impressive performances in the Australian domestic circuit. He was not lucky enough to get a game for Chennai, who reached the finals but lost out to Mumbai Indians.

Tye was then released into the auction and he had some decent outings. One of the best T20 specialist bowlers in the current scenario, he is known to execute his slower deliveries and off-cutters with surgical precision, thus making him an effective death bowler.