The Indian Premier League (IPL) is by far the most distinguishable T20 league in the world. The cash-rich league began in 2008 and since then has captured global attention. In fact, such is the hold that the tournament carries that international cricket remains minimal during the time IPL is played. The cash-rich tournament involves a total of eight teams who go head to head in over 50 matches for close to a month-and-a-half. While all eight teams are equally strong and recognisable any place they go, there are very teams that can match the global appeal of CSK.
CSK or the Yellow Army, as they are popularly known as have been. fan favourite right from the start of the IPL. Led by MS Dhoni and having the likes of Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir, the franchise has been huge success in the competition. But what is full form of CSK? This is a question many people often wonder. Here, we discuss what the abbreviation CSK stands for alongside full forms of other teams as well. We will also showcase how CSK has performed in the IPL over the years.
CSK full form in IPL
The full form of CSK in the Indian Premier League is Chennai Super Kings. The franchise is based out of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and plays all of its home games at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. The Chennai Super Kings have been an absolute force to reckon with since the inaugural season and hold the record for the most appearances in the final of the IPL. The owner of the CSK team currently is Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd. Formerly, the franchise owner was India Cements. You can read all about the who the owners of Chennai Super Kings are, here.
CSK has been one of the most popular franchises in the tournament. But like any sports team, they have seen a fair bit of ups and downs in their journey.
Chennai Super Kings in IPL over the years
IPL 2008: The inaugural season of the IPL saw the CSK franchise sign up MS Dhoni as its team captain. Under Dhoni, the side looked unbeatable. They qualified into the playoffs placed third and beat Kings XI Punjab in the semifinal. However, in the final they were outsmarted by a tenacious Rajasthan Royals side.
IPL 2009: In the second season of the IPL, CSK’s form dipped slightly and while they ended the group stage in second place, CSK were unable to get past Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi final. The tournament in 2009 took place in South Africa due to the elections in India at the time.
IPL 2010: CSK’s search for an IPL title ended in 2010 when they beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs in a pulsating final. Suresh Raina, who has always been the form guys for CSK brought out his best in the finals to take Chennai Super Kings over the line.
IPL 2011: Before Mumbai Indians achieved the double in 2019 and 2020, Chennai Super Kings was the only team to defend its IPL title. Chennai finished the group stage placed second and there was no stopping them in the final at their home ground of MA Chidambaram Stadium. With the stands packed to the rafters Chennai Super Kings thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs.
IPL 2012: Chennai Super Kings looked set for a third successive title but their efforts were thwarted by a relentless Kolkata Knight Riders unit in 2012. CSK were their dominant self the whole tournament and it took a special knock by Manvinder Bisla to stop them in the final.
IPL 2013: The CSK unit once again topped the group stages in IPL 2013 with 22 points. However, they came up against a rampant Mumbai Indians unit who took revenge of their 2010 final defeat by lifting their maiden title.
IPL 2014: In 2014, CSK put up a brave show in the group stages to qualify for the playoffs placed third. In Qualifier 2 though they met a giant going by the name Virender Sehwag. The CSK bowlers were obliterated as Kings XI Punjab amassed 226/6. But the CSK batsmen, Suresh Raina in particular weren’t done yet. They came out all guns firing and at one point seemed CSK would get over the line but they eventually fell short by 24 runs.
IPL 2015: The 2015 season of the IPL continued on the same lines as the previous editions. CSK topped the group stages and eventually qualified for the final. However, Mumbai Indians proved too strong for the Yellow Army in the finals.
IPL 2016 and 2017: No CSK fan would forget the pain caused by the two seasons. Chennai Super Kings were banned for two years due to its owner Gurunath Meiyappan’s alleged involvement in spot fixing. It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the entire cricket community.
IPL 2018: The CSK comeback story post the ban is one for folklore. No one gave the CSK side any chance when they were back but Dad’s Army made the impossible possible. Chennai Super Kings qualified into the playoffs placed second. They then beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier and again in the final to lift their third title.
IPL 2019: CSK came painstakingly close to winning the 2019 season of the tournament but fell short by a solitary run in the final against Mumbai.
IPL 2020: The 13th season of the IPL was easily their worst in every sense. They could not qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history and finished seventh on the points table.
IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings started off IPL 2021 in promising fashion and currently are placed second on the points table. The Super Kings will be hoping for a similar show when the IPL resumes in September.
Conclusion
Chennai Super Kings are heart of the Indian Premier League. The kind of passion their fans bring is unbeatable and they have made it clear they will support the CSK side come what may. No other team has faced as dominant as CSK in the competition and they will hope to remain the same continuing forward.
