IPL: CSK's greatest overseas XI of all time
Over the 10 seasons that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), they've always had a strong Indian core - captain MS Dhoni, vice-captain Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin to name a few.
Even in the current squad, the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav, apart from Deepak Chahar, are all in and around the Indian limited-overs setup. But another main reason behind CSK having won three IPL titles is the sheer number of quality overseas players that have plied their trade for the side.
CSK's greatest overseas XI of all time in the IPL
While the IPL states that no more than 4 overseas players can take to the field, we throw all such rules out of the window. Here is CSK's greatest overseas IPL XI of all time.
Openers: Brendon McCullum (c, wk), Matthew Hayden
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum played for CSK for only two years - 2014 and 2015 - but he made such an impact that he easily makes it to this all-time XI. In 28 games for CSK, Baz scored 841 runs at an average of 32.35 and a strike rate of 137.19, with one hundred to his name as well. McCullum is the captain of this XI, and dons the gloves as well.
Matthew Hayden partners McCullum at the top of the order, making an explosive right-left combination. The Australian great wore another shade of yellow for the first three years of the IPL, and scored 1,107 runs at an average of 36.9 and a strike rate of 137.52.
The fact that Hayden batted at the opening slot throughout his career puts him in this position, with many other players who opened the batting for CSK but not for their national teams placed lower down on this list.