Once again, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will enter the world's most famous cricket league as one of the favourites.
They are the most successful team in the Indian Premier League. Three titles, and featuring in the playoffs every time they have competed so far. And their captain is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And their captain is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Yes, they have also served a two-year suspension. That's their story.
Once again, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will enter the world's most famous cricket league as one of the favourites, mainly thanks to the presence of Dhoni in their camp. But cricket is still a team game, and they have a brilliant team to go with one astute leader. Then there are fans. CSK fans are different.
With the core of the team which won the title in their comeback season last year having retained, CSK restricted their business to buying only a couple of players – Mohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad.
They released three players – Mark Wood, Kanishk Seth, Kshitiz Sharma
Team facts:
Winners (3): 2010, 2011 and 2018
Finalists (4): 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015
Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND)
Head Coach: Stephen Fleming (NZ)
Batting Coach: Michael Hussey (AUS)
Bowling Coach: Lakshmipathy Balaji (IND)
Venue: M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Squad:
Batsmen: Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis (Overseas/South Africa), Dhruv Shorey, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Murali Vijay;
All-rounders: Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Shane Watson (Overseas/Australia), Karn Sharma, Dwayne Bravo(Overseas/West Indies), David Willey (Overseas/England);
Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi (Overseas/South Africa), Monu Kumar, KM Asif, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner (Overseas/New Zealand), Mohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir (Overseas/South Africa);
Wicket-keepers: MS Dhoni, Narayan Jagadeesan, Sam Billings (Overseas/England)
Fixtures:
March 23 (H): vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
March 26 (A): vs Delhi Capitals at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi
March 31 (H): vs Rajasthan Royals
April 3 (A): vs Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Team Records:
Matches Played - 150
Matches Won - 91
Highest Total - 246/5 against Rajasthan Royals in 2010
Lowest Total - 79 all out against Mumbai India in 2013
Most Consecutive Wins - 6 in 2013
Individual Records:
Most Runs - Suresh Raina (4985 in 176 matches, from 2008 to 2018)
Highest Score - Murali Vijay (127 vs Rajasthan Royals in 2010)
Most Wickets - Ravichandran Ashwin (120 in 121 matches, from 2009 to 2015)
Best Bowling Figures - Ravindra Jadeja (5/16 against Deccan Chargers in 2012)