Five most expensive buys in Chennai Super Kings history

No side has won the IPL more times than CSK

Chennai Super Kings may not be in the Indian Premier League, as a result of their suspension, but with two IPL titles and two CL T20 titles, they are undoubtedly one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL.

They were bought by India Cements for $91 million in 2008, making them the fourth-most expensive team and have since been one of the most consistent sides in the history of the competition.

Although they were renowned for maintaining their core players and only making a handful of additions each year, they did splash the cash when necessary. Whether it was going for MS Dhoni in the inaugural IPL Auction or Ravindra Jadeja in the 2012 auction, they have made their mark in terms of big-money buys.

Not all of them have gone on to become huge successes, but their tendency to only go big on few occasions have meant that they have largely avoided having too many big-money flops.

Here are the five most expensive buys in Chennai Super Kings' history:

#5 Subramaniam Badrinath - $850,000

Subramaniam Badrinath's international career is a fascinating case study and an unfortunate example of someone who was just born in the wrong era. But as far as his IPL career goes, he was Chennai Super Kings' go-to player when they were ever in trouble.

Although he wasn't the most destructive or powerful batsman, Badrinath still found a way to score runs and for CSK, it almost always arrived when it mattered most. So it was no surprise to see CSK purchase him for $850,000 in the 2011 IPL Auction when he had a base price of just $100,000.

While he didn't always get the big scores, he allowed CSK to have a flexible batting order and his fielding made him an asset even when he didn't score big.