CSK's playing 11 from their CLT20 win in 2010 - where are they now?
One of the most storied franchises in T20 history, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), tasted glory at the Champions League T20 (CLT20) in 2010 on this day, September 26.
The MS Dhoni-led outfit took on the Warriors, based out of the Eastern Cape in South Africa, in the final at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. It was a clinical performance by the IPL 2010 champions as they restricted the Warriors to 128/7 in 20 overs before chasing it down without breaking a sweat, winning by eight wickets with an over to spare.
CSK suffered just a solitary loss throughout their CLT20 campaign in 2010. It was against the Victoria Bushrangers of Australia and that too on the back of the match ending in a tie before the Bushrangers won the Super Over.
It marked a period where CSK established themselves as the team to beat on the T20 circuit as they successfully defended their IPL crown in 2011. While the CLT20 is now defunct, they also won the last edition of the tournament in 2014, beating the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.
On the 13th anniversary of the Super Kings' glory in the CLT20 2010, let's take a look at their playing XI from the final and where they are now:
Openers - Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay
It was at the CLT20 that the famed Michael Hussey-Murali Vijay partnership came into fruition for CSK. The out-of-form Matthew Hayden was dropped after the first two games, with his countryman Hussey replacing him, and it worked a charm for the Super Kings.
Hussey and Vijay combined for a partnership of 103 runs that made light work of the target for CSK. While Hussey remained unbeaten on 51 off 46 balls, Vijay was declared the Player of the Match for his 53-ball 58.
Both players have retired from international cricket, although Hussey remains CSK's batting coach apart from coaching the Welsh Fire in the Men's Hundred. He's an occasional commentator, with Vijay also entering that arena apart from playing for the India Maharajas at the Legends League Cricket Masters last year.
Middle Order - Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Subramaniam Badrinath, Srikkanth Anirudha and Albie Morkel
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been the face of CSK since the inception of the franchise in 2008. Raina managed to score just two runs in the final, although his brilliant unbeaten 90 in the semifinal against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was instrumental in the team making the summit clash.
Dhoni, like he has done so often, hit the winning runs by smashing Rusty Theron straight down the ground for a boundary and was unbeaten on 17.
Subramaniam Badrinath, Srikkanth Anirudha and Albie Morkel weren't required to bat in the final. Anirudha held onto a couple of catches, while Morkel returned respectable figures of 1/31 off four overs and bagged the big wicket of Colin Ingram in the process.
Among these players, only Dhoni continues to remain an active cricketer, having led CSK to their fifth IPL title earlier this year. He retired from international cricket, with Raina joining him on August 15, 2020.
Raina also retired from all forms of competitive cricket last year, although he continues to play in leagues such as the Road Safety World Series and the US Masters T10 apart from being a commentator.
Badrinath and Anirudha are regular commentators in Tamil, and the former played the Road Safety World Series as well last year. Anirudha is often seen analyzing the game on the YouTube channel 'Cheeky Cheeka' with his father and former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
Morkel has forayed into coaching and was the assistant coach of the Namibian national team at the T20 World Cup 2021, apart from assuming the same role for CSK's sister franchises in the SA20 league (Joburg Super Kings) and the Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings).
Bowlers - Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Doug Bollinger and Muttiah Muralitharan
Ravichandran Ashwin snared 13 wickets in the CLT20 2010 and walked away with the Player of the Tournament award as well as the Golden Wicket. He combined with fellow off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan to strangle the Warriors' batters in the middle overs, finishing with 2/16. Muralitharan ended with 3/16.
Doug Bollinger took the new ball for CSK in the final and produced the first breakthrough as he castled Ashwell Prince. He finished with 1/33 off four overs. Lakshmipathy Balaji sent down four decent overs for 28 runs even as he remained wicketless.
Among these bowlers, only Ashwin remains an active international cricketer and has established himself as one of the finest bowling all-rounders India has ever produced. He continues to play for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL.
Muralitharan has long retired from international cricket but is the spin-bowling coach of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL. He made a brief appearance in the commentary box when India played Sri Lanka in the Super Four of the Asia Cup earlier this month.
Balaji was CSK's bowling coach until last year before Dwayne Bravo took over the reins. He has also been involved in the broadcasting sphere.
Bollinger retired from international cricket in 2018 and ventured into a lawn services company. He made an appearance in a celebrity match organized by the Sydney Thunder at the start of the year that featured a host of famous Australian sporting celebrities.
Warriors XI from CLT20 2010 final
The Warriors had a dream run into the final of the CLT20 in 2010, winning three of their four group matches. Coincidentally, their only defeat in that phase was against CSK. Having defeated the South Australian Redbacks in the semifinal, they had to settle for runners-up against a red-hot Super Kings unit in the final.
Skipper Davy Jacobs was one of the stars of the season, finishing as the second-highest run-getter with 286 runs to his name - just eight shy of Vijay's 294. His exploits earned him a maiden IPL contract with the Mumbai Indians (MI) the following year.
Here's how the Warriors lined up for the final of the CLT20 against CSK in 2010:
Davy Jacobs (c), Ashwell Prince, Colin Ingram, Justin Kreusch, Mark Boucher (wk), Johan Botha, Craig Thyssen, Nicky Boje, Rusty Theron, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
What is your most fond memory from CSK's triumph in the CLT20 2010? Have your say in the comments section below!
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