3 players who won IPL trophy with both GT and CSK ft. R Sai Kishore
Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in tonight's IPL 2024 match. The Titans have battled the Super Kings once this season already, with the Chennai-based franchise crushing them at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The Super Kings will aim to do the same at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Last year, the Titans played two matches against the Super Kings at the world's largest cricket stadium, with both teams winning a game each.
One of the two matches was the IPL 2023 final, where CSK beat GT to win their fifth IPL trophy. Ravindra Jadeja's final-over heroics denied the Titans their second championship win.
Both GT and CSK have won the IPL trophy, and here's a list of three such players who have won the titles with both teams.
#1 R Sai Kishore won IPL 2021 with CSK and IPL 2022 with GT
Very few players have won IPL trophy in consecutive seasons with two different teams. Indian left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore is one of them. He was a member of the Chennai Super Kings squad that lifted the trophy in the UAE back in 2021.
Despite being a proven match-winner for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, Sai Kishore never received an opportunity to play for the Chennai Super Kings. One of the biggest reasons behind CSK ignoring him was Ravindra Jadeja's presence in the squad.
A year later, Gujarat Titans went all out for Sai Kishore at the mega auction and signed him for ₹3 crore. The left-arm spinner justified his price tag with six wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 7.56. He took two of those wickets in the IPL 2022 final against Rajasthan Royals, which helped GT win their first title.
#2 Dominic Drakes won IPL 2021 with Chennai and IPL 2022 with Gujarat
Another player who was present in Chennai Super Kings' 2021 and Gujarat Titans' 2022 squads was Dominic Drakes. The Caribbean all-rounder is the only overseas cricketer to feature on this list.
Interestingly, Drakes never played a single match for GT or CSK. However, he received an opportunity to put his hands on the trophy on both occasions. In 2021, Drakes joined Chennai as Sam Curran's replacement.
Next season, Gujarat signed Drakes for ₹1.1 crore. He won the IPL 2022 trophy but is yet to earn an IPL deal after that.
#3 Wriddhiman Saha won IPL 2011 with Chennai and IPL 2022 with Gujarat
Chennai Super Kings won their second trophy in the 2011 season. Wriddhiman Saha was the backup wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni that year. Saha played seven matches in the 2011 season, scoring 68 runs for the Super Kings.
Eleven years later, Saha became an IPL champion again while playing for the Gujarat Titans. He was the main opener for the Titans in the 2022 season, scoring 317 runs in 11 innings at an average of more than 30.
Saha and Sai Kishore will likely represent GT against their former franchise tonight. It will be interesting to see how they perform.