Fan Site of Chennai Super Kings

Chennai to host IPL Opening Ceremony

2012-01-01T15:47:00.000+05:30

For the second consecutive year, Chennai Super Kings will host the opening ceremony of IPL. IPL Season 5 - will start on April 4 and end on May 27.

Other Key information

All nine teams will play home & away matches against all the other teams in the league stages
Opening Ceremony will held on April 3
Play-off Matches would be played in Bangalore & Chennai (Finalists of IPL 2011)
And Final would be played in Chennai
Each Team would have an auction purse of USD 2 Million Dollars
The maximum number of players in a team is increased to 33 and the maximum number of overseas players is increased to 11 (Expect Kochi Tuskers team to be the key interest for all the team)
Maximum Overseas in the playing eleven remains unchanged at 4
The trading window will open on 15 December 2011 and run through to 20 January 2012.
Player Auction is expected to happen in late January or February 2012.

Bye Bye 2011! Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T15:14:00.002+05:30

Another wonderful year for Chennai Super Kings comes to an end. The team started the year with a great auction and continued its year with another IPL trophy. Though the year ended with a disappointing Champions League, there is no doubts about having a great 2012.

So wishing you all CSK fans a wonderful year of following Chennai Super Kings!!!

IPL Teams Come Together

2011-11-29T23:42:00.001+05:30

DNA Reports that the franchises of all the nine IPL teams met recently in Mumbai. Though they are not calling it a union, this meeting is to ensure that the franchises are not hood-winked by BCCI. The major agenda seems to be on avoiding multi-crore payment to BCCI for Ravindra Jadeja.

Interest in Jadeja:

With the disbanding of Kochi Tuskers, all Kochi players would be available in the auction. And since Ravindra Jadeja is the ~~only~~ major coveted player, he is bound to go for secret bidding.

Demands to BCCI

The representatives have sent their demands to Rajiv Shukla - who has called the governing council meeting on Dec 3rd to discuss the same.

For more info, please visit @ DNA

CSK makes 138 Crores of Revenues for India Cements

2011-11-23T20:26:00.001+05:30

Financial Success Crucial For Any Sports Club

One of the key reasons for the long-term success of large football clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. is their financial success. None can disagree today that the long-term success of a sports club on the field is dependent on their profitability & financial success - off the field. That is why it is crucial for Chennai Super Kings to be the most financially successful club in IPL.

CSK Makes Record Revenues

And the recent reports of Chennai Super Kings shared during the quarterly reports of India Cements has a lot of 'good news' for CSK Fans. With a revenue of Rs. 138 crore in April - Sept 2010 and highest EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Deductions and Amortisation) i.e. Profits are positive news to us.

Professional Management

These results demonstrate the club is professionally managed - both on and off the field. Only hope that the team will continue to invest its profit in the players & future CSK stars rather than ploughing the money back to the parent company.

Simple Redesign of your favorite CSK Blog

2011-10-07T21:31:00.001+05:30

Hi all,

First of all. Thanks for following this blog for so long and making CSK Fansite is the largest IPL Team fan blog in India.

Thanks to new Dynamic Views of Blogger, I have done a simple redesign of your blog. I believe the new look is a lot less cluttered. Let me know your thoughts on how do you like.

Also your thoughts on how we can improve this blog further in the comments.

A big thank you.. Looking forward to another great year as a Chennai Super Kings Fan.

Cheers,

- Robin

Chennai's Reign Comes to an End

2011-10-06T00:15:00.002+05:30

A run like that - 2 IPL Victories + 1 Champions League Victory would end sooner than later. And as CSK fans we did enjoy the run. But the loss yesterday does hurt every CSK Fan. More than the loss, the fact that CSK never played to their potential in the entire tournament - hurts a lot more.

Thanks CSK for the entertaining 2 years. Hope to see the yellow we all remember in the next IPL.

An uphill task faces Chennai Super Kings

2011-10-04T00:44:00.003+05:30

Chennai Super Kings found themself in this position in quite a few seasons. And always they have managed to climb back to a qualifying position with a little luck and a lot of grit. But I somehow feel that this time, all is not well with Chennai Super Kings.

If Cape Cobras win the match against T&T, CSK and T&T would become the first teams to lose out on a chance of semi-finals. But if T&T win, CSK needs to play really well and win by a huge margin to qualify. So the scales seems to be tipped against CSK even before the first ball is bowled. (Current Points Table)

Expect Dhoni to pick the same squad for the match.

A Must Win Game for Chennai Super Kings

2011-10-02T00:24:00.003+05:30

Thanks to rain washing out the game between Mumbai Indians and Cobras, today's game against Trinidad & Tobago becomes a must-win game for Chennai Super Kings. T&T would be looking to change the fortunes after losing both the games

CSK Probable XI:

1. Vijay 2. Hussey 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Morkel 7. Bravo 8. Saha 9. Ashwin 10. Jakati 11. Bollinger

As usual, expect Chennai Super Kings to play the same eleven. After Bravo's performance with the bat and ball in the last match, hope the other all-rounder Albie Morkel will come to party today.

T&T would be looking happily at the slow Chennai pitch. The match would depend on how CSK handle T&T's spin bowlers.

Bravo sets up a CSK Victory

2011-09-30T01:10:00.004+05:30

What a way to come back from a humilating defeat in the hands of Mumbai Indians specifically Malinga. Bravo played the first of the many match winning knocks for Chennai Super Kings.

Positives:

1. Bravo: Impressed both with his batting and bowling. A true-match winning performance. Showed the team his class act.

Now the team plays T&T next. It is a must-win game for the team.

Resilient Chennai Super Kings looks forward to 2nd clash

2011-09-27T22:40:00.002+05:30

Many teams in the world would have pressed the 'panic' button after losing from such a dominant performance. But that is not the style of Chennai Super Kings. They are a resilient team and we can count that Fleming & Co. to field the exact eleven that played against Mumbai Indians. And we can also expect looking to come back strongly with a win.

CSK Probable XI:

1. Vijay 2. Hussey 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Morkel 7. Bravo 8. Saha 9. Ashwin 10. Jakati 11. Bollinger

Critically for Chennai, it is crucial that Vijay & Bollinger find their form - to give a flying start to CSK's batting and bowling respectively.

Cape Cobras Probable XI:

1. Levi 2. Gibbs 3. Owasis Shah 4. Duminy 5. Ontong 6. Kemp 7. Vilas 8. Philander 9. Peterson 10. Steyn 11. Langeveldt

Most Dangerous Players

1. Steyn: Steyn is a dangerous bowler in any pitch in the world. And he could bother Indian batsman on any day and in any pitch. So it would be interesting to see how Raina, Vijay and Badir play Steyn

2. Duminy: Duminy is the best player of spin in Cape Cobras Side. So his early wicket would be crucial for a

CSK victory.

Favourites: As Nokai CLT20 has been so far, expect another close match.

Freaky Malinga Innings helps Mumbai Foreigners to defeat CSK

2011-09-24T23:20:00.000+05:30

It was a freaky victory for Mumbai Foreigners. There is no other way to describe this win for Mumbai. It was especially sad to see Chennai losing the game after dominating for 90% of the game.

Positives:

1. Hussey: He continues the fine form of Sri-lankan tour. Expect to see a few more great performance during the championship league.

2. Ashwin & Raina: Both of them continued to impress with the ball. Expect them to play key roles for the rest of the tournament.

Negatives:

1. Bollinger: Ever Dependable Bollinger had one of his off-days. Hope he gets back his regular mojo for the rest of the league.

Now the team needs to go back to the drawing board and ensure that those silly mistakes are not repeated any more.

Who do you think is responsible for this freaky victory of Mumbai Foreigners?

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians - Mouthwatering Contest?

2011-09-23T23:45:00.000+05:30

Mumbai Indians have lost 2 consecutive IPL Seasons after dominating most of the group stages. If that is not enough, the team has lost eight of its 23 players to injuries and has only 14 players in the squad. Taking this extra-ordinary events into account, Mumbai Indians have been (unfairly) allowed to play 5 overseas players.

But the men in yellow would be in a happy frame of mind. They have won three consecutive tournaments. And the team as a whole, would be looking forward to put up another strong performance in Champions League.

CSK Probable XI:

1. Vijay 2. Hussey 3. Raina 4. Badrinath 5. Dhoni (captain) 6. Bravo 7. Morkel 8. Saha 9. Jakati 10. Ashwin 11. Bollinger

Mumbai Probable XI

1. Jacob 2. Blizzard 3.Rayudu 4. Suman 5. Pollard 6. Symonds 7. Satish 8. Harbhajan Singh 9. Yuzvendra Chahal 10. Franklin/Fernando 11. Malinga

Most Dangerous Players:

1. Rayudu: Without the guidance of Sachin Tendulkar, the team would need a single player to hold the innings together. Considering his performance so far, Mumbai think-tank would be expecting a lot from him in that role. But would Rayudu play with the maturity is a question that would get answered this Champions League.

2. Pollard: With the loss of so many players, we can expect Pollard to get a considerable time on the pitch - which is dangerous for any opponent.

3. Malinga: How Vijay & Hussey plays Malinga would determine the margin of victory.

Favorites: Home support makes CSK the favorites. But one explosive performance by Malinga or Pollard could end that pretty easily.

Meet CSK's Opponents in the Group Stage

2011-09-23T22:13:00.001+05:30

Other Teams in Group A

For this year's Champions League, ten teams are divided into two groups of five each. Chennai Super Kings is placed in Group A along with

Mumbai Indians
Cape Cobras
Trinidad & Tobago
New South Wales

The top two teams from the group qualifies for the semifinals. Reading the names, I am sure it is quite visible that this is a tougher group than Group B. Even Fleming acknowledges that Chennai Super Kings are placed in a tougher group. 3 of the four finalists so far are present in this group. Except for Mumbai Indians, others have played in atleast 1 semi-finals.

But the good news for Chennai Super Kings is that we play all the matches in Chennai.

1. Mumbai Indians:

Mumbai Indians have lost 3 key Indian players to injuries - Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma & Munaf Patel. Considering the quality of the players who are ruled out, any other team would have found it tough to win even a single match. But considering the strength of Mumbai Indians' foreign players, they do have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. But playing in India but still missing home support would seem cruel to the team.

Key Player to Watch out for:

1. Pollard: With the loss of Sachin & Rohit, you can expect Pollard to get a lot more chances this season. For any opponent, He would be Mumbai's most feared player.

My Prediction: 4th

2. Cape Cobras:

Winners of South African Pro20 tournament, the team boasts big-names like Steyn, Owasis Shah. Duminy, Gibbs, Kemp & Langveldt. But the team performance's might depend largely on the performances of their unknown stars - Vernon Philander & Richard Levi.

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Dale Steyn: The success of Cape Cobras would largely revolve around Dale Steyn. They need Steyn to bowl well in all the matches to have any reasonable chance of qualifying for the semifinals

My Prediction: 5th

3. Trinidad & Tobago

T&T would be coming to the tournament with a huge amount of confidence after defeating its opponents in both its qualifying matches. Though the team has lost its biggest stars - Pollard & Dwayne Bravo to IPL Teams, this team can't still be ruled out from the semi-finals. Expect them to surprise at least 1 or 2 big opponents.

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Rampaul: Rampaul's current form is a huge plus for the spin-heavy attack. His performance in the powerplay overs would be key to the team's performance

My Prediction: Black Horse in the group. 3rd

4. New South Wales:

Any team that boasts Watson & Warner as the opening batsmen is to be feared. This is backed up Katich, Hughes, Steve Smith, Stuart Clark & Hauritz. This is one of the most balanced teams in this season.

Key Player to Watch out for

1. Shane Watson: He is the key player for the team. His batting and bowling skills make him the most crucial player for the team. And I don't think is going to miss another opportunity to re-iterate his value to the team. .

My Prediction: 2nd in the group stage

My Prediction for CSK: If the venue has been any other place, I would have predicted CSK to end second in the group behind NSW. But considering the home support and the pitch, the possibility of CSK coming second in the league seems remote.

But if the relaid pitch assists seamers more than spinners, New South Wales might still beat CSK to the top of the league.

Mumbai gets an unfair advantage!

2011-09-23T22:11:00.001+05:30

I was shocked/pissed off to hear that Mumbai team are allowed to play five foreign players instead of four foreign players like other team. They were allowed this because of the injury to eight Indian players including Sachin Tendulkar.

Whatever the reason it might have been, I am sure this is a very poor choice by the administrators. Especially considering that there are other options like the the team being allowed to get a new, unsigned Indian player. If Mumbai Indians have been allowed to play 5 players, then even the other IPL teams should have been allowed to do so.

This is just a bad precedent and would be surely exploited by the future IPL Teams.

P.S: Considering that the team is being captained by Harbhajan Singh, even this rule might not make a huge difference to the team's fortunes. :)

Chennai has their first training session

2011-09-21T20:28:00.002+05:30

Slowly but steadily, Men in Yellow are building a strong defence to their world championship title. Had their first training session. Yesterday's Rain washed out any chance of a training session yesterday.

Who do you think would be the man of the tournament for CSK this season?

My Prediction - Suresh Raina

And Probable CSK XI
1. Vijay
2. Hussey
3. Raina
4. Dhoni
5. Albie Morkel
6. Bravo
7. ~~Anirudh Srikkanth~~ Badrinath
8. Saha
9. Ashwin
10. Jakati
11. Bollinger

Gunning for another title???

2011-09-21T20:15:00.001+05:30

Chennai Super Kings have had a great 1.5 years with 3 wins in 3 tournaments. So it would be interesting to watch how the team approaches 2nd Champions League. But Fleming promises us there won't be any complacency.

Considering that Chennai Super Kings would play all their matches in their den, anything less than a championship would be rated as a poor performance.

How do you rate Chennai Super Kings' chances? Are they the key favourites for the tournament?

Tim Southee becomes the first casualty in Nokia Champions League

2011-09-21T20:10:00.002+05:30

Chennai Super Kings suffered their first casualty when Tim Southee was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. The team has confirmed that no decision has been taken as yet on the replacement player.

But it is bound to be an interesting decision since Tim Southee was just a back-up for Bollinger in the team. Now let us pray that Bollinger does not get injured during the tournament.

What are your choices regarding the replacement? You can check out the current CSK 15 member squad. My prediction it is probably going to be Faf du Plessis.

Only 11 More Days!!!

2011-09-12T00:03:00.000+05:30

Another 12 more days, we will get to see our men in yellow back on the field... On their journey to a consecutive CLT20 championship. While the qualifiers start on September 19th, the main tournament starts only on Septermber 23. And CSK play their first match on September 24.

Check out CSK Schedule and block them in your calendar.

Also check out the 15-member squad for the championship. The good news is that all our top 15 players are available for this year's Champions League.

And now the countdown begins for another great Champions League. And I do hope that CSK will be the one holding the trophy on October 9 @ Chepauk.

Clinical Display from CSK.. We are Champions Again

2011-05-28T23:27:00.001+05:30

Chennai Super Kings successfully defended their title with another clinical display. Great Opening Partnership by Hussey-Vijay set up the most dominating win of the season.

WHOA!! We are IPL CHAMPIONS AGAIN!! The team did well to raise up their game for the crucial match. This is why Dhoni's captaincy and Fleming's coaching is crucial for Chennai Super Kings.

Positives:

1. Vijay & Hussey: What a way to come back to the form. They showed determination and intent by running very hard in the initial overs. They scored 56 runs in the first six overs without even a single boundary. Commendable performance from the openers.

2. Ashwin: Again another great bowling performance. His early wicket of Gayle snubbed out the slightest hope that RCB had.

3. Jakati: Another great bowling performance from him.

Fan's Man of the Match: Vijay. His explosive innings and his determined running between the wickets was commendable. Hope to see more such clinical partnerships from Hussey & Vijay in the next season.

The Classic.. CSK-RCB Rivalry Continues...

2011-05-28T01:27:00.001+05:30

This is the fourth time that RCB will play against CSK this IPL. And this is the fourth time, RCB will play against CSK in a play-off. RCB defeated CSK in the first semi-final(Season 2) and CSK has defeated RCB in the other two (Season 4 & CL Season 2).

But the good thing is that the two best teams of the season have reached the finals. Hope CSK raise up their game for the crucial match.

CSK Probable XI:

1. Hussey 2. Vijay 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Albie Morkel 7. Saha 8. Bravo 9. Ashwin 10. Jakati 11. Bollinger

RCB Probable XI:

1. Luke Pomersbach 2. Gayle 3. Kohli 4. De Villiers 5. Saurav Tiwary 6. Mohamed Kaif 7. Mayank Agarwal 8. Vettori 9. Syed Mohammad 10. Zaheer 11. Arvind

Most Dangerous Players

1. Vettori: In the slow Chennai pitch, he would be RCB's deadliest bowler. How CSK middle order handle him would be interesting to watch.

2. Zaheer: In addition to his quota of 4 overs, he pseudo-bowls through Aravind & Mithun(if he plays). So it is important that Vijay & Hussey don't lose their wicket to Zaheer.

3. Gayle: After his induction into the team, his contribution with both bat and ball has been immense. CSK should be busy working out - not only his batting but also his bowling. Bollinger and Ashwin's spell against Gayle would be the decider in the match.

Favorites: It is a tight game to predict. I expect Hussey-Vijay partnership would be crucial for Chennai Super Kings.

Collective Team Effort Defeats Royal Challengers!!!

2011-05-25T00:59:00.003+05:30

What a way to storm into the finals. CSK and Royal Challengers Bangalore produced a great game of cricket today. With the way RCB played today, it would be tough for MI/KKR to defeat RCB in the 2nd semifinal. So don't rule another RCB match this season.

But the great news is that we get to play the final in our home.. So it is time we packed the stadium to the brim for the finals..

Positives:

1. Ashwin: His early wicket of Gayle was crucial. This kept CSK on the game. If Gayle has played until 10 overs, RCB would have won the game handsomely.

2. Bollinger: He raises his game for the crucial matches. I believe his form to the most crucial thing for CSK in the finals.

3. Raina: Another player for the big matches. What a way to come back to form. We can expect another cracker of innings from him on the finals.

4. Albie: What a way to pay back the confidence shown by the team in retaining him. Hope it is time that South African selectors take note of his batting (esp. while chasing. )

5. Dhoni & Badri: As usual, they played a key role in the the team's victory.

Negatives:

1. Vijay: It is time Vijay made a substantial contribution to the team. He is the only player (out of the four retained players) not to make a significant impact to this season. Hope he strikes form in the final and provides a match winning partnership with Hussey.

Fan's Man of the Match: Raina. His wonderfully paced knock provided the opportunity for Dhoni & Morkel to excel.

Whom(out of RCB, MI & KKR) do you prefer to play in the finals?

Can CSK stop RCB juggernaut?

2011-05-23T22:42:00.001+05:30

Buoyed by the induction of Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore are in one hell of a form - winning eight matches of the last nine. And experts predict them to be the clear favorites for tomorrow's game. But CSK can't be written off in the final stages of these games.

CSK Probable XI:

1. Hussey 2. Vijay 3. Raina 4. Badri 5. Dhoni 6. Albie Morkel 7. Saha 8. Bravo 9. Ashwin 10. Jakati 11. Bollinger

RCB Probable XU:

1. Luke Pomersbach 2. Gayle 3. Kohli 4. De Villiers 5. Saurav Tiwary 6. Mohamed Kaif 7. Mayank Agarwal 8. Vettori 9. Zaheer 10. Arvind 11. Mithun

Most Dangerous Players

1. Vettori: More than inept batting by CSK team, the win yesterday could be attributed to the intelligent captaincy and the field placements by Vettori. Also he bowls the important middle overs - not letting the other teams to escape from the iron grip.

2. Zaheer: In addition to his quota of 4 overs, he pseudo-bowls another 8 overs through Mithun & Aravind. So it is important that Vijay take Zaheer's bowling apart in the initial overs.

3. Gayle: After his induction into the team, his contribution is immense in all the eight wins. Hope the law of averages catches up with him tomorrow.

Favorites: Unlike Bangalore pitch, Vettori would not find Mumbai pitch to his liking. Expect Ashwin to produce a match-winning performance tomorrow. And the toss would be crucial in tomorrow's game.

P.S: Went yesterday to my bangalore for the match. So missed out on my regular updates about the match.

Chennai's Unbeaten Home Run Continues

2011-05-19T00:49:00.001+05:30

Perfect Seven... Chennai Super Kings became the first team in IPL to win all their home matches. And the team was the deserved winners in all the games. With 7 home wins and 2 away wins so far, CSK has become the second team to qualify for the play-offs mathematically.

Positives:

1. Hussey: He is CSK's oldest player on the field. But the commitment shown by him on the field was exemplary. Hope the young guns like Vijay learn from him.

2. Saha: Everybody (including me) questioned his inclusion in the team. And as any true match winner, he answered his critics on the field. This innings should give him and the team a lot of confidence.

3. Ashwin, Jakati & Raina: The spinner trio set up another beautiful win. Ashwin is now the key player in the play-offs for CSK.

Negatives:

1. Vijay: His casual approach in the field was stupid - to say the least. Hope he get his act together soon.

Fan's Man of the Match: Ashwin for the wonderful bowling performance & Hussey for the inspirational fielding display.

Now the match against RCB would decide whether CSK is among the top two slots in this season.

Final Push for the Crucial Top Two Slot

2011-05-17T21:22:00.001+05:30

Until now, Chennai Super Kings have done everything right for the crucial top two slots. Now it is time for the team to push for the crucial final top two slot. Also tomorrow's match would provide a few opportunities to the players who have waited patiently on the sidelines.

CSK My XI:

1. Vijay 2. Mukund 3. Raina 4. Dhoni 5. Bravo 6. Faf 7. Albie 8. Ashwin 9. Jakati 10. Dougie 11. Tyagi

KTK Probable XI

1. McNullum 2. Parthiv Patel 3. Brad Hodge 4. Owasis Shah 5. Ravi Jadeja 6. Gomez 7. Kedhar Jadhav 8.RP Singh 9. Sreesanth 10.Murali 11. Parameshwaran

Most Dangerous Players

1. RP Singh: His early wickets are crucial for Kochi Tuskers.

Favorites: Chennai Super Kings have to try really hard to lose this match.

Chennai bats it way through to the play-offs

2011-05-13T00:15:00.000+05:30

With another home victory, Chennai bats its way through to the play-offs. Now the team can start focusing on reaching the top two slots of the league table.

Positives:

1. Team Management: Finally, the team has started thinking and playing the match fearlessly. Extra batsmen in Bravo does make the team a lot more aggressive with its batting.

2. Dhoni: It was great to see Dhoni - the free flowing batsman, who attracted attention initially.

3. Badri: As usual, Badri played the sheet anchor role to the hilt

4. Bravo: He is slowly getting his 'mojo' back. In another 2 or 3 matches, he should be playing to his full potential.

5. Ashwin & Raina: Both bowled beautifully. It was great to see Raina filling up the third spinner's role beautifully. Raina & Ashwin's bowling would be crucial in the matches played in Chennai

Negatives

1. Vijay: We have not still seen Vijay of IPL 2010 form. His form would be crucial in the matches against top four teams.

Fan's Man of the Match - Dhoni - for out-batting the opposition out of the match.

Now the team gets a much needed rest..