CSK's playing XI in their first-ever IPL game: Where are they now?
In the second match of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in a game that immediately succeeded Brendon McCullum's whirlwind 158* in the tournament opener.
Incredibly, the game managed to live up to expectations, as MS Dhoni's men posted a mammoth total of 240, which is still among the five highest team totals in the history of the IPL. Michael Hussey's destructive hundred, along with cameos from Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath, took CSK to a 33-run win.
In this article, we take a look at where the members of the CSK playing XI in their first-ever IPL game are now.
CSK's playing XI in their first-ever IPL game (April 19, 2008)
Parthiv Patel: The opener has gone on to play for several other IPL teams in what has been a journeyman career so far. Moreover, Parthiv has never quite been able to make a spot in the Indian team his own in any format, perhaps due to the presence of his CSK captain MS Dhoni. The wicket-keeper will play for Virat Kohli's RCB in IPL 2020.
Matthew Hayden: The destructive Australian had retired from all forms of international cricket by January 2009, and played for CSK till 2010 before walking away from the game altogether. Hayden scored over 1,000 runs and was a consistent presence at the top of the order, although his final season did see a slump in form and a Mongoose bat.
Mike Hussey: Coming in at No. 3 in this game, Mr. Cricket played for CSK for many more years before briefly moving to the Mumbai Indians (MI). Hussey came back to CSK to finish his IPL career and is currently the batting coach of the team. In 59 games in the IPL, the southpaw scored just under 2,000 runs.
MS Dhoni: Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has led his team to three IPL titles and his country to two ICC titles since this game against KXIP. His international future is currently under immense scrutiny, but Captain Cool is all set to continue playing for CSK in the upcoming edition of the IPL.
Suresh Raina: The elegant left-hander has had a long and distinguished limited-overs career, but is not in the selectors' plans at the moment. Raina's IPL performances haven't been what they used to be, but he will be keen on winning an international recall with consistent performances in the 2020 IPL.