The Chennai Super Kings will start IPL 2021 as one of the favorites to win the entire thing. The Super Kings have won the IPL trophy thrice in the past. Besides, they have also been the runners-up on multiple occasions.
The core strength of the Chennai Super Kings has been the team management’s faith in its players. Even though some players could not match the expectations last year, the Super Kings retained them for IPL 2021.
However, in their 11-year history, the Super Kings have released quite a few big names from their squad. Here’s a look at a strong playing XI comprising the players who were let go by CSK in the past.
Openers – Parthiv Patel and Murali Vijay
Parthiv Patel was the wicket-keeper of the Chennai Super Kings during the first three seasons. He opened the innings for the team and provided them with top-quality starts in the power play overs.
Murali Vijay was one of the best openers in IPL during his prime. He brought his best game to the table in the high-stakes matches. His century against Delhi in Qualifier 2 is considered one of the best knocks played by a Chennai Super Kings player.
Middle Order – Subramaniam Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha, and George Bailey
The Chennai Super Kings had a fantastic middle-order batsman in the form of Subramaniam Badrinath during the initial seasons. Badrinath would often chip in with some vital runs for the team in the middle.
Wriddhiman Saha never got consistent opportunities to play in the top-order, but whenever he got a chance, he made it count.
George Bailey was signed by the Chennai Super Kings even before he made his Australia debut. Bailey was a raw talent but he did the best he could when playing for CSK.
All-rounders – Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, and Thisara Perera
The CSK team management have always invested in the all-rounders’ section. Albie Morkel was the team’s biggest match-winner during the initial seasons. Chris Morris, who is the highest-paid overseas player in IPL now, was once a part of the CSK squad.
Thisara Perera got the honor of lifting the prestigious IPL trophy in his debut season with the Chennai Super Kings. Perera has been away from the IPL for quite some time now.
Bowlers – Muttiah Muralitharan, Doug Bollinger, and Ravichandran Ashwin
Since there are three pace bowling options in the all-rounders’ department, only Doug Bollinger earns a place in the bowlers’ group. Bollinger bowled left-arm pace and picked up wickets at crucial junctures for the CSK franchise.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ravichandran Ashwin are considered to be two of the greatest right-arm off-spinners of all time. There was a time when the Chennai Super Kings were the home to both these elite spinners.
Muralitharan played three seasons for the Super Kings from 2008 to 2010, while Ashwin stayed with CSK until 2015. These two bowlers are undoubtedly the biggest names in the list of spinners released by the CSK team in IPL history.
Best XI of players released by Chennai Super Kings
Parthiv Patel (wk), Murali Vijay, Subramaniam Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha, George Bailey (c), Albie Morkel, Thisara Perera, Chris Morris, Muttiah Muralitharan, Doug Bollinger, and Ravichandran Ashwin.