Chennai Super Kings have featured in 13 IPL tournaments before 2023. They have played the final in 9 of those seasons, which is a staggering number. CSK lost 5 IPL finals and won 4 of them. In terms of the number of trophies, they are the 2nd most successful team. While in terms of consistency, they certainly are the best IPL team. Chennai qualified for the final of the inaugural IPL season in 2008.
Then, they played 4 consecutive finals in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. No other team has played more than 2 consecutive finals in IPL history. After featuring in their 6th final in 2015, CSK played 2 more consecutive finals in 2018 and 2019. Their last IPL final was in 2021. They have 9 IPL final appearances, and each of them has been under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Let’s take a look at the details of every IPL final played by CSK.
1. IPL 2008 Final
MS Dhoni led Chennai, and Shane Warne led Rajasthan, and they met each other in the first IPL final. Batting first, Chennai started with a 39-run opening partnership. Parthiv Patel played a fine innings of 38(33). Then, Suresh Raina played a crucial hand of 43 off 30. MS Dhoni provided the required to flourish at the death with a blazing cameo of 29*(17). CSK got to 163 for 5 at the end of their 20 overs. Yusuf Pathan bowled a terrific spell of 3 for 22 in 4 overs.
In reply, the Royals lost their first three wickets at the score of 42 in 6.4 overs. Shane Watson contributed with a fine innings of 28 off 19. But it was Yusuf Pathan, yet again, who turned the game in Rajasthan’s favour. He played a high-quality innings of 56 runs in 39 deliveries, along with 3 fours and 4 sixes. When he got run out, the equation was 21 off 14. Sohail Tanvir played the winning shot as Rajasthan won by 3 wickets on the last ball of the match.
2. IPL 2010 Final
It was Chennai’s second IPL final, and they were batting first again. The opening partnership was run-a-ball 44. Matthew Hayden had a miserable outing with the bat as he got out after scoring just 17 off 31. Suresh Raina played a top knock of 57(35) to add some substance to the innings. MS Dhoni scored 22 off 15, while Albie Morkel Smashed 15 off just 6. Chennai set Mumbai 169 runs to win their first IPL title.
The chase didn’t start well as Shikhar Dhawan got out for an 8-ball duck. Sachin Tendulkar played a steady but slow knock of 48 off 45. Ambati Rayudu tried to up the ante with a 14-ball 21. Kieron Pollard came to the crease with 55 needed off the last 3 overs. He hammered 27 off 10, but Mumbai fell short by 22 runs. Consequently, CSK claimed their first IPL trophy.
3. IPL 2011 Final
In 2011, CSK became the first IPL team to feature in consecutive finals. Once more, they were batting first, and their opposition was RCB. Chennai’s openers, Michael Hussey and Murli Vijay put on a marathon stand of 159 runs in 14.5 overs. The former scored 63 off 45, while the latter got 92 off 52. MS Dhoni promoted himself to #3 and smashed 22 off 13 to take his team to 205 for 5 in 20 overs. Chris Gayle was in red-hot form during this IPL season.
It was imperative for Chennai to get him out early. So Chennai’s captain played a master stroke by opening the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin. He got Gayle’s wicket in the first over to put Bangalore under enormous pressure. Virat Kohli and Saurabh Tiwary showed some fight with their innings of 35(32) and 42*(34), respectively. But the Royal Challengers Bangalore could only get to 147 for 8 in their 20 overs. Hence, CSK won their 2nd title in as many years.
4. IPL 2012 Final
It was Chennai’s 3rd consecutive and 4th final overall. This time, they were up against the Kolkata Knight Riders. For the fourth time, they were batting first. Michael Hussey and Murli Vijay once again provided a strong start to their side. Their 87-run stand came in 10.2 overs. Hussey made 53, while Vijay got 42. Then, Suresh Raina’s scintillating knock of 73 runs in just 38 balls powered the Super Kings to 190 for 3 on the board.
It seemed like a tough ask for KKR, and it looked even harder when their skipper, Gautam Gambhir, got out in the opening over. But then Manvinder Bisla and Jacque Kallis combined for a stunning partnership of 133 runs. The former played a sensational innings of 89(48), while the latter scored 69 off 49. When the stand was broken, the equation was 52 off 32. Kallis got out with 16 to get off 7. Manoj Tiwary’s two fours in his 3-ball innings drove KKR to victory.
5. IPL 2013 Final
Chennai Super Kings appeared in their 4th consecutive final in 2013. It was against Mumbai Indians on a tricky surface. Batting first, they were reduced to 52 for 4 in 9.3 overs. None of the Mumbai batters felt at home on that pitch, with the exception of Kieron Pollard. The Caribbean played the greatest knock in an IPL final. He scored 60* off just 32 to drag his team to 148 for 9.
The difficulty of the pitch got the better of CSK’s top order. They were in tatters at 3 for 3 in the second over. A 32-run partnership for the 4th wicket gave them some hope. But then, they lost 3 more wickets for just 4 runs. A little later, Chennai’s two more batters fell with the addition of 1 run. It reduced them to 58 for 8, and the match went out of their reach.
The skipper MS Dhoni’s extraordinary knock of 63*(45) took them to 125 for 9 in 20 overs. But they lost the final by 23 runs. So, after winning two successive IPL titles, CSK lost two consecutive finals.
6. IPL 2015 Final
2 years later, Mumbai and Chennai met again in an IPL final. Mumbai batted first again and lost their first wicket in the opening over. Lendl Simmons and Rohit Sharma scored 119 runs in their partnership. Simmons got 68 off 45, while Rohit smashed 50 off 26. Both the batters then fell in the space of 2 deliveries. Kieron Pollard dominated CSK once again by hitting 36 off just 18. Ambati Rayudu stayed unbeaten at 36 off 24, and Mumbai were 202 for 5 at the end of their innings.
In reply, Michael Hussey got out for just 4. Dwayne Smith scored 57 off 48 before Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni fell for 28(19) and 18(13). The rest of the batting lineup collapsed, and CSK could only get to 161 for 8, thanks to a 7-ball 21 for Mohit Sharma. Mitchell McClenaghan got 3 wickets while Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh picked 2 scalps each. It was Chennai Super Kings’ 3rd consecutive loss in an IPL final.
7. IPL 2018 Final
After suffering a 2-year ban, CSK returned to the cash-rich league and reached the final on their comeback. They were up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who batted first. After an early wicket, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson stitched a 51-run partnership. The former scored 26(25) while the latter made 47(36). Shakib Al Hasan and Carlos Brathwaite played fine cameos of 23(15) and 21(11), respectively. But it was Yusuf Pathan, whose 45* off 25 made things tough for Chennai. SRH closed their innings at 178 for 6.
The chase didn’t start well as Faf du Plessis got out early for just 10. The score was just 16 after 4 overs. Shane Watson took control from there as he and Suresh Raina partnered for 117 runs. When Raina departed for 32(24), the target was 46 off 39. Watson played a masterclass of 117* in just 57 balls. He finished the match as Chennai bagged an easy 8-wicket win. After 3 successive defeats in the final, CSK finally won another IPL title.
8. IPL 2019 Final
For the 4th time in the Indian Premier League, the arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings contested each other. MI batted first, and Quinton de Kock’s 29-run innings got them off to a flyer. He smashed 4 sixes in the 17 balls he faced. QDK and Rohit Sharma then got out at the same score. Mumbai were 45 for 2 in 5.2 overs. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan then combined for a slow partnership of 37 runs in 6 overs. Kieron Pollard rescued MI once again with a breezy cameo of 41(25). CSK were asked to chase a target of 150 runs to win their 4th title.
The chase started on a high as Faf du Plessis whacked 26 off just 13. He then got out to Krunal Pandya, making things tough for CSK. Suresh Raina struggled to a 14-ball 8 before getting out to Rahul Chahar. From 70 for 1, Chennai slipped to 82 for 4 in the space of 20 balls. Shane Watson kept the chasing side alive, but none of the other batters were able to help him.
With 68 needed off 46, he took the game to the last over. With 5 runs needed off 3 balls, Watson was unfortunately run out. He played an exceptional knock of 80(59). With 2 to defend off the final ball, Lasith Malinga nailed a slow-ball yorker to get Shardul Thakur out LBW. Mumbai won the match by just 1 run, and it was their 3rd win against Chennai in an IPL final.
9. IPL 2021 Final
Chennai’s IPL dominance continued as they played their 9th final in 2021. Kolkata Knight Riders were their opponents. Batting first, CSK got off to a solid start of 61 runs in 8.1 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad lost his wicket after scoring 32 off 27. Robin Uthappa walked out to bat at #3 and stitched a match-defining partnership with Faf du Plessis. The duo batted together for 32 balls and scored 64 runs.
Uthappa was dismissed after scoring 31 off 15. Moeen Ali was the next man in and he plundered 37* off 20. But it was Faf du Plessis who batted through the whole 20 overs to score 86 off 59. Sunil Narine picked 2 wickets for just 26 runs in his 4 overs. Chennai Super Kings posted 192 for 3 on the board at the end of their 20 overs.
Like Chennai, Kolkata also got a strong opening partnership. Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill brought up 91 runs in 10.4 overs. Venkatesh got out after scoring 50 off 32. Once the opening stand was broken, wickets started to tumble as 8 batters got out for the addition of just 24 runs. Shubman Gill also got out after contributing 51 off 43. Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi showed some resistance with a 39-run stand. But it was never going to be enough as KKR fell short by 27 runs.
Chennai Super Kings won their 4th IPL trophy and became the 2nd most successful team in the history of the league.
List of All the IPL Finals Played by CSK
Here are the details of all the finals featuring Chennai Super Kings:
| Season | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rajasthan Royals | Lost |
| 2010 | Mumbai Indians | Won |
| 2011 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Won |
| 2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lost |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians | Lost |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | Lost |
| 2018 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Won |
| 2019 | Mumbai Indians | Lost |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Won |
