Chennai Super Kings is one of the most successful and loved franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have won the league four times out of the 13 seasons that they have been a part of it. Chennai have had many great players play for them over the years who have scored tons of runs for them.
The great thing about Chennai Super Kings is that they don’t rely on one or two players to score bulk of the runs for the team but have match winners seeded across the squad. They have had players who can launch the ball out of the stadium for huge sixes along with players who can play the anchor role to perfection.
CSK have had many top run-getters in their history but there have been batters who have fuelled CSK's success with their consistency over longer duration of time.
So let’s take a look at the top ten run-getters for CSK in IPL History:
10) Shane Watson
Shane Watson is considered an unsung hero for the Chennai Super Kings. He played for the men in yellow for three seasons during which, he was the key man at the top of the side. He was an important player for CSK in their title-winning run, after the franchise made its comeback in 2018.
Watson was bought by the four-time winners for a bargain price of INR four crores. His ability to give his side great starts in the power play along with his understanding of the pitch and playing the right shots were bonus for the team. He was a trusted bowler as well since he could be given a few overs on tricky pitches and his slower ball was sometimes too good for opposition batters.
He amassed 1,252 runs in three seasons for the franchise and scored two centuries and seven fifties during his time there. He had a great average of over 30 with an amazing strike rate of over 130. He goes down as one of the key players in CSK’s all-time great list.
9) DJ Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is usually known for his exploits with the ball more than the bat. He had been a great death bowler who was effectively used by the skipper. Although not usually reckoned for his batting skills, he did score great runs at crucial times for his side and carried the potential to bail his team out on his day.
Bravo recently announced retirement from the Indian Premier League after playing almost every season till date. He was part of the Chennai Super Kings for ten years and is also one of the leading wicket takers not only for the team but in IPL’s history. With the bat too, some of his great cameos were match-winning and are still residing in the hearts of CSK fans
He scored 1,280 runs throughout his ten years at Chennai Super Kings, which is amazing considering that he usually batted at number 8 or lower for most part of his IPL career. He also has three fifties to his name and everybody in Chennai remembers his highest score of 62 which came against Mumbai Indians in 2018, helping them snatch the game away from the jaws of defeat.
8) Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best all-rounders the world has ever seen and his exploits with both bat and ball are something that the CSK fans cherish. He joined them in 2012 and has been a key part of the side ever since.
He is mostly seen as a finisher in the team and usually comes out to bat when the team needs him to go all out with his hard-hitting abilities. But, at times when CSK have had shaky starts, he has even come in the powerplay to get his side out of precarious situations.
He has so far scored 1,596 runs for the side with two fifties. In 2021, he grabbed eyeballs by scoring 37 runs in an over, in which he hit 5 sixes and one four against RCB's Harshal Patel.
7) Subramaniam Badrinath
Subramaniam Badrinath was one of the consistent batters for Chennai Super Kings during his time with the franchise. He played some crucial knocks for his side and was a reliable batter who reciprocated whenever his team needed him to score big runs.
He used to play shots all over the ground and had the ability to find gaps during significant moments of the game. His drives on the on-side were some of the best sights to behold and people simply used to be in awe of his batting.
The Chennai batter scored 1,667 runs during his six seasons with the franchise. He has 12 crucial fifties to his name, which includes some match-winning knocks for the side. He usually used to come two or three down, with his role being that of maintaining the momentum and not letting the runs dry out.
6) Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu is another prominent batsman who has made invaluable contributions to numerous wins of Chennai Super Kings. He joined the Super Kings when they were making a comeback to the Indian Premier League in 2018. He was bought for a bargain price of INR 2.2 crores which was thoroughly justified by him, given the amount of runs he scored for the franchise in the subsequent seasons.
His game certainly improved a lot under the guidance of MS Dhoni and 2018 was a special year for him where he scored over 600 runs, including three fifties and a hundred. His crucial runs helped Chennai win their third IPL trophy and their first in seven years' since 2018.
Overall, he has scored 1,774 runs for the side which includes 8 fifties and a single hundred which came in his first season in 2018. His versatile batting position allows CSK to tinker with their overseas combination, thus adding a valuable balance to the side.
5) Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay is one of the underrated batters not only for Chennai Super Kings but also in the realm of IPL. He was with CSK for a very long time and was one of the first buys for the franchise.
He is an out and out opener who takes his time but once after getting in the groove, he doesn't pull himself back in taking the bowlers for a ride. He can be very destructive once he gets going and can launch the ball to different parts of the stadium.
He scored 2,205 runs during his time with Chennai Super Kings along with two centuries and ten half centuries. He has won the trophy thrice with the Super Kings.
4) Michael Hussey
Michael Hussey was a great signing for Chennai Super Kings, who found himself among the runs, almost always. His versatile batting position was an area Chennai banked on about because this allowed them to fit him in accordance with other batters and their preferred batting positions.
He had the ability to bail his side out of big trouble, something he frquently did whenever CSK had to deal with early loss of wickets. He also knew how to capitalize on great starts given by openers. He had all the shots in his playbook, including the abilities to send the ball out of the park, when needed.
He scored 2,213 runs in his eight-year spell with Chennai Super Kings where he scored one century and 17 fifties for the side. His average of above 40 is the highest in this list of top run-scorers and shows how consistent he was for the franchise, almost throughout his playing career. He is currently donning the role of the batting coach of CSK.
3) Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis is one of the greatest batters of all-time who had, for the longest time, been a loyal soldier of CSK, before parting ways in 2022. His general trend of taking his time before launching himself on to the bowlers and punishing them, is a skill that has yielded results for him as well as his franchise.
Faf is also one of the best active fielders and can often be seen pulling off some stunners at the boundary. Backed by valuable leadership experience, he never shied away from giving his valuable inputs to his team-mates when going through a rough patch, even when he wasn't in a leadership role for CSK.
Du Plessis played for CSK for eight years and was one of the most prolific batters of the team. He scored 2,932 runs for his side, which includes 21 fifties. His highest score for the franchise is 96.
2) MS Dhoni
One of the greatest players of all-time, Mahendra Singh Dhoni grabs the second spot on this list. Known for his mastermind tactics, Dhoni has also, many a times single-handedly, made CSK cross the line with his explosive style of batting.
Having been with the franchise since the first edition of the Indian Premier League, Dhoni has mostly played the role of a finisher in the squad. However, he has also batted at out and out middle-order positions such as 4 or 5, and has often been able to take the pressure off his side and exponentially increase the team score.
The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 4,853 runs in his 13 years with the side and has a great average of 39. He has scored 23 fifties for CSK and has also hit over 220 sixes, which is one of the highest in IPL’s history.
1) Suresh Raina
It just had to be Suresh Raina at the top of this list considering his contribution to the franchise over the years. He usually batted at number three or four and his variety of shots often left the bowlers confused.
Known as 'Mr. IPL', Raina was once the highest run getter not just for CSK, but in the entire tournament. The left-handed batter was also vigilant on the field and never lost a chance to turn the match in CSK's favour. His inside-out shot was a delight to watch which is still yearned for by the fans.
The Uttar Pradesh batter has scored 5,528 runs in his IPL career, bulk of which had come in the yellow jersey. He has one century and 39 fifties to his name, scored across his IPL career. He represented the franchise for 12 long years and have notched himself as one of the greatest batters in IPL history.
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