5 CSK players who never played a single match
It is nearly impossible to write about the IPL without mentioning the mighty Chennai Super Kings. CSK are one of the most entertaining and the most consistent sides in the history of the tournament. After missing two years due to suspension, CSK came back to win the tournament in fairytale comeback story.
Eminent players like Muttiah Muralitharan, Matthew Hayden, Makhaya Ntini, and more star players have represented the CSK in the past. When it comes to the Chennai based franchise, sealing a spot in the playing eleven is a big deal because of the presence of many world-class players in the squad.
On that note, let's take a look at some well- known players who never played a match for the team.
#5 Kyle Abbott
The South African medium pacer, well-known for his tight lines and accurate swing bowling, was picked by CSK in 2015 auctions. Unfortunately, due to the presence of foreign players like Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo in the CSK squad, Abbott was not able to make his IPL debut for the team.
Abbott returned back to KXIP in the IPL 2016, and he finally played his first IPL match against Rising Pune Supergiant. The South African struggled to find his rhythm and played only five matches (taking two wickets) in his IPL career.
#4 Matt Henry
An emerging fast bowler at the time, who bowled at really good pace, Matt Henry was picked up by CSK in 2014.
Henry was a surprise buy by CSK in the 2014 IPL auction, and it was rumoured that Stephen Fleming was the reason behind his inclusion, given their Kiwi connection.
However, Henry never played a match for CSK during his association with the franchise (2014-15). In the IPL auction, Kings XI Punjab signed Henry for his base price of ₹50 lakhs and Henry made his IPL debut for KXIP against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017.
#3 Andrew Tye
In T20 cricket, varying the pace of the ball at the right time (especially in death overs) might snatch you some wickets. And Andrew Tye would go onto do the same in the IPL, but not for the Chennai based franchise.
Two-time Champions Chennai Super Kings bought Tye in the IPL auction 2015 after his extraordinary performances in the 2014-15 Big Bash League. But, the Aussie bowler injured himself before the opening match of CSK against Delhi Daredevils in the 8th edition of IPL.
With Mohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra, and Dwayne Bravo on song, skipper MS Dhoni was in no mood to make any changes in his bowling unit. Hence Tye couldn't make it to CSK's playing eleven, not even once in IPL 8.
In the later years, Tye would go onto pick 12, 24, and 3 wickets in 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons respectively.
#2 Akila Dananjaya
Mahamarakkala Kurukulasooriya Patabendige Akila Dananjaya Perera, better known as Akila Dananjaya, came to limelight as an unorthodox spinner from Sri Lanka, famous for his mysterious spin bowling.
In the 2013 IPL auction, Chennai Super Kings signed Dananjaya for his base price at the last moment, after letting him go unsold on the first attempt. But, he never got a chance to break into the playing eleven of CSK due to the presence of spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
#1 Irfan Pathan
Once touted as the next Kapil Dev, Irfan Pathan was somewhat of a revelation in Indian cricketing folklore.
After playing 98 matches, representing KXIP, DD and SRH in the previous editions of the IPL, Pathan was signed by CSK to add balance to the squad in the year 2015.
He sustained an injury before CSK's first match against Delhi Daredevils and was not considered for selection for the first few matches. Due to injuries and other undisclosed reasons, he failed to play an IPL match in the yellow jersey.
Pathan joined Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016 and was then bought by Gujarat Lions in the 2017 IPL auction. He played his last IPL match for GL against the Mumbai Indians.