Chennai Super Kings

In 2011, CSK acquired the services of Dwayne Bravo, while Ravindra Jadeja was bought in 2012. The duo played a crucial role in CSK’s superb performances in the next two years. In the 2011 season, they won the title again and were runner-up the following season. The string of consistent performances was a result of excellent scouting and initial investments, which were slowly paying back.

However, from 2013 onwards, their decline began as the franchise got entangled in the IPL spot-fixing scandal. Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of team owner N Srinivasan, was arrested, and as a result, CSK received a two-year ban for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

After a two-year exile, the Yellow Brigade returned in 2018 only to lift the trophy for the third time in one of the most emotional IPL campaigns ever. The team was ridiculed as “Dad’s Army” as the average age was 30-plus. Yet, none of these affected Dhoni and his men.

In the next few years, the team tried to groom Jadeja as the new leader, but that experiment failed as the team finished a disappointing ninth place in 2022. The season was heartbreaking for the CSK faithful, who had seen the team win the title for the fourth time in 2021.

In the 2023 season, Dhoni was reinstated as the leader. The team defeated defending champions Gujarat Titans to lift their fifth title, equaling Mumbai Indians’ record. A year later, Dhoni handed over the mantle to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led CSK to a fifth place finish in the 2024 edition.