Led by one of the all-time great captains MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is another name for consistency. Hardly anyone would disagree with this statement. Chennai have played 13 seasons in the IPL and have qualified for the playoffs in 11 seasons.
They have qualified for the finals on 9 occasions and have won the elusive and prestigious IPL trophy on 4 occasions. A major chunk of this credit should go to the talisman, MS Dhoni. One of the most successful international captains too, MS Dhoni leads his team with a lot of confidence.
In IPL 2023 as well, we witnessed Chennai ruling the roost in several games. They finished in the 2nd position after the round-robin stage and then qualified for the finals after defeating defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Qualifier 1 by 15 runs.
In this article, we take a look at 3 Chennai Super Kings players who played beyond expectations in IPL 2023:
1. Ajinkya Rahane
IPL 2023 witnessed a coming-of-the-age performance from flamboyant batter Ajinkya Rahane. He displayed a shade of his cricketing personality which was not known to a lot of people. Rahane has played 13 games in IPL 2023 and has scored 299 runs.
Most of his knocks have been impactful knocks and he has a phenomenal strike-rate of close to 170 in IPL 2023 so far. In Match 33 of IPL 2023, Rahane reinvented himself with a powerful knock of 71* runs in just 29 balls.
He lit up the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata and deservedly won the player of the game award in that game versus Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
2. Shivam Dube
Hard-hitting middle-order batter Shivam Dube has had a stellar IPL 2023. He is the third-highest run-getter of CSK and has scored 386 runs in 13 innings so far. Shivam Dube’s power-hitting enthralled several cricket lovers and watching him bat was a visual treat.
Dube has smashed 33 sixes for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023 so far and that is the highest in the Chennai team. He has a strike-rate of 158.85 in IPL 2023.
3. Matheesha Pathirana
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has been quite impressive in IPL 2023. His unique sling action which is similar to former Sri Lankan legendary pacer Lasith Malinga has made several batters quite uncomfortable.
Pathirana has bagged 17 wickets in 11 games and has been a standout performer for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2023. His performance will be crucial in the high-voltage IPL 2023 finals versus Gujarat Titans.
Also read: IPL 2023: 3 Reasons Why Aakash Madhwal Can Be A Mainstay Bowler Of Mumbai Indians
