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T20 is a game of momentum, and one of the important parts of a T20 game is how a team builds momentum with bats at the initial overs. If batters start with a good strike rate and play long innings, that partnership will help the team make a good total or chase a target.
Chennai Super Kings is a five-time Indian Premier League-winning franchise, and a good opening partnership played a crucial role in helped CSK to win so many matches. In this particular article, we will learn about the top 5 opening partnerships for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL history. Let’s see which opening partnership added the highest run for CSK in one inning, and who are the batters in those opening stands for CSK.
Best Openers for CSK in IPL All Season
5. M.Vijay & M.Hussey
The right- and left-handed opening partnership worked for the Chennai Super Kings very well in the Indian Premier League. Indian right-handed opener Murli Vijay and Australian left-handed batter Michael Hussey both played crucial knocks for CSK. In 2013, playing against Kings XI Punjab at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali CSK openers chased down a target of 138 runs without losing a wicket.
Murli Vijay and Michael Hussey displayed brilliant batting and made an unbeaten 139-run partnership. Michael Hussey played 54 balls and scored an unbeaten 86 runs with 11 fours and 2 sixes. Hussey attacked the KXIP bowlers with a strike rate of 159.25. On the other hand, Murli Vijay played a brilliant supporting role by scoring with a strike rate of 100.00. Vijay contributed with 50 runs from 50 balls, 4 fours, and 1 maximum. Michael Hussey won the player of the match award for his outstanding performance. This 139-run opening stand is the 5th highest opening partnership for the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the Indian Premier League.
4. Ruturaj Gaikwad & Devon Conway
The Indian right-handed opening batter and the New Zealand left-handed opening batter are known for giving a solid start for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway made the 4th highest opening partnership for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Gaikwad and Conway, playing against the Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, in the first inning made a 141-run opening stand and gave a solid start for CSK in that match.
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 79 runs from 50 balls with a strike rate of 158.00. In that innings, Gaikwad smashed three fours and seven maximums. Devon Conway played with a strike rate of 167.30 and scored 87 runs on 52 balls. Conway registered 11 fours and 3 sixes. This 141-run stand provided a base for upcoming CSK batters, and CSK ended up the inning by scoring 223 runs. CSK won that match by 77 runs, and Ruturaj Gaikwad was named player of the match for his contribution.
3. M.Vijay & M.Hussey
The final of the 2011 Indian Premier League season was played between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the CSK opener gave a remarkable start in the first innings. Murli Vijay and Michael Hussey’s 159-run opening partnership is the third-highest opening partnership for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL history.
Murli Vijay played an unbelievable knock of 95 runs from just 52 balls with a strike rate of 183.09 in the final. Vijay smashed four fours and six sixes in that knock. Michael Hussey, with a 140.00 strike rate, made 63 runs from 45 balls. Hussey scored 3 fours and 3 sixes. That 159-run partnership against RCB in the final gave CSK batters a flying start at the end of 20 overs, CSK put 205 runs on board. Notably, CSK won that final by a 58-run margin, and Murli Vijay was awarded the Player of the Match trophy.
2. S.Watson & F.Du plessis
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and South African former captain Faf du Plessis made the second-highest runs opening partnership for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Chasing 178 runs against Kings XI Punjab in the 2020 season at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai CSK openers made the game one-sided by chasing down the target without losing a wicket.
Shane Watson smashed unbeaten 83 runs from 53 balls with a strike rate of 156.60. Watson batting partner Faf du Plessis registered unbeaten 87 runs from 57 balls with a strike rate of 164.15. Both openers smashed 11 fours in that match, and Watson hit three sixes while Faf scored one maximum and made an unbeaten 181-run partnership. Chennai Super Kings chased down the total in just 17.4 overs with this opening partnership, and Shane Watson was nominated as a player of the match for his batting performance.
1. R. Gaikwad & D.Conway
The best opening partnership for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League is against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune in the 2022 season. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway in the first inning of the match made a stand of 182 runs. Gaikwad scored 99 runs from 57 balls with a strike rate of 173.68. Gaikwad smashed SRH blowers for six fours and six maximums. Left-handed Devon Conway contributed with unbeaten 85 runs from 55 balls with a strike of 154.54. Conway scored eight fours and four sixes in that knock.
The Chennai Super Kings ended up scoring 202 runs after 20 overs. SRH lost that match by 13 runs, and Ruturaj Gaikwad was awarded the player of the match trophy for his outstanding performance at the opening. That 182-run partnership is still the highest opening partnership for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
