5 IPL stars who played the 1st and last season of their IPL careers for Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings are among the most successful franchises in T20 league history.
The Chennai-based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owns the world record for the most appearances in T20 finals. They have won four IPL titles and two Champions League T20 championships so far.
Some of the biggest names of world cricket have adorned the CSK jersey over the years. This includes MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Stephen Fleming, Faf du Plessis, Albie Morkel, Michael Hussey, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Brendon McCullum.
Ashish Nehra, Dwayne Smith, Sam Curran, Imran Tahir and many others have represented CSK in their careers as well.
Very few players in the IPL are able to end their careers with the franchise where they made their debut in the league. However, a few have been able to accomplish that impressive feat.
In this listicle, we will look at five such players who played the first and last seasons of their IPL careers for CSK.
#1 Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay announced his retirement from international cricket via social media on Monday (January 30).
The former Indian opener came into the limelight after his explosive performances for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2010. He made his T20I debut for India in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Vijay made his IPL debut for CSK in 2009 and remained a part of the franchise until the 2013 season. He later moved to the Delhi Daredevils and Punjab Kings before returning to Chennai in 2018. Vijay played the last season of his IPL career for CSK in 2020.
#2 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina earned the nickname 'Chinna Thala' during his lengthy stint with the Chennai Super Kings. Raina played for CSK from 2008 to 2015 and returned to Chennai in 2018.
In all, he played 176 matches for the Super Kings, scoring 4,687 runs and scalping 24 wickets. His last IPL appearance came for CSK in an IPL 2021 match against the Rajasthan Royals.
#3 Michael Hussey
Former Australian batter Michael Hussey was the first player to score a hundred for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He remained a part of CSK from 2008 to 2013 before moving to Mumbai Indians in 2014. Hussey returned to Chennai for his last season in the league in 2015.
After retiring from all formats of cricket, the Australian now works as a batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings.
#4 Doug Bollinger
Doug Bollinger is the best pacer #CSK ever had
#MSDhoni https://t.co/Cp2EyeyrV5
Doug Bollinger was an underrated match-winner for CSK. The former Australian pacer joined the franchise as a replacement for Jacob Oram in the 2010 season.
He played 27 matches for the team, with his last IPL appearance coming for the Super Kings in 2012. Bollinger scalped 37 wickets over the course of his IPL career at a superb economy rate of 7.22.
#5 Joginder Sharma
Joginder Sharma]
2007: #T20WorldCup hero 🏆
2020: Real world hero 💪
In his post-cricket career as a policeman, India's Joginder Sharma is among those doing their bit amid a global health crisis.
[📷 Joginder Sharma] https://t.co/2IAAyjX3Se
India's T20 World Cup 2007 hero Joginder Sharma played all four seasons of his IPL career for the Chennai Super Kings. He made 16 appearances for CSK, scoring 36 runs and picking up 12 wickets.
The former Indian all-rounder has since retired and joined the police. His last IPL match was against the Mumbai Indians on April 22, 2011.