The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is arguably the most consistent team in the IPL. Their team has almost always been composed of players having international experience and caliber. CSK has seen multiple players who were part of the leadership group even though it was MS Dhoni who called the shots. Players like Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, and Faf du Plessis have been constantly in Dhoni’s ears over the years. Stay with us to know about Players Who Played For CSK And Then Became T20I Captains
StumpsandBails looks at 5 players who first played for CSK and then went on to become T20I captains:
#5 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has been an integral part of the CSK setup since the inaugural season. He has been called Mr. IPL thanks to his relentless consistency and excellence. In 2010, Dhoni had to miss a couple of games owing to injury. Raina stepped into captain CSK in his absence. He later went on to captain the country too in T20I’s. Even then he stepped in to lead a second-string India team in Dhoni’s absence.
#4 Tim Southee
Tim Southee started his IPL career with CSK in 2011. Southee didn’t have a memorable outing with the yellow bridge. But he tasted IPL success as CSK went on to successfully defend its crown in 2011. Southee went on to captain New Zealand in a couple of games that Kane Williamson wasn’t a part of.
#3 Mitchell Santner
CSK picked Mitchell Santner in the 2018 auctions. He was part of some key victories for the yellow brigade. Since Santner is more a like-to-like player for Ravindra Jadeja, he has hardly got chances for the franchise. But that doesn’t take the fact that Santner is a utility player. Santner much like Southee captained the Kiwis in Williamson’s absence.
#2 George Bailey
George Bailey first played in the IPL in 2009. CSK picked him on the promise he showed in domestic cricket. Bailey later went on to captain the Australian team in 2012. He became only the second-ever Australian player to captain a side without playing any games. Bailey was a great character to have in the squad.
#1 Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis was picked to play for CSK in 2012. He showed early promise playing for the yellow brigade. Faf later went on to debut in a stunning fashion for South Africa in the Adelaide Test against Australia. His debut century in the 2nd innings remains a career highlight. The Proteas management decided to hand over the captaincy reigns to Faf after a couple of seasons into his international debut.
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