<P> The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai . After serving a two - year suspension from the IPL starting July 2015 for the alleged involvement of their owners in the 2013 IPL betting case (along with Rajasthan Royals), the Super Kings returned to the league in 2018, winning the championship in the comeback season, its third overall to tie Mumbai Indians for the record for most IPL title wins . The team is captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming . </P> <P> The Super Kings have lifted the IPL title thrice (in 2010, 2011 and 2018), and have the best win percentage among all teams in the IPL (61.56). They hold the records of most appearances in the IPL playoffs (nine) and in the final (seven). In addition, they have also won the Champions League Twenty20 in 2010 and 2014 . The brand value of the Super Kings in 2018 was estimated at $65 million, making them the most valuable franchise in the IPL . </P> <P> In September 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the establishment of the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition to be started in 2008 . In January 2008, the BCCI unveiled the owners of eight city - based franchises . The Chennai franchise was sold to the India Cements for $91 million, making it the fourth most expensive team in the league behind Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad . India Cements acquired the rights to the franchise for 10 years . Former ICC Chairman N. Srinivasan was the de facto owner of the Chennai Super Kings, by means of his position as the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements Ltd . The franchisee was transferred to a separate entity named Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd., after the Supreme Court of India struck down the controversial amendment to the BCCI constitution's clause 6.2. 4 that allowed board officials to have a commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20 on January 22, 2015 . </P> <P> During the first player auctions for the inaugural IPL season conducted in January 2008, Tamil actor Super Thalapathy Joseph Vijay was a celebrity for two years (2008&2009), the Chennai franchise bought a number of contemporary star cricketers such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Matthew Hayden, Stephen Fleming, Muttiah Muralitharan and Michael Hussey . Dhoni became the costliest player of the auction, as the Chennai franchise bought him for $1.5 million . The franchise named Dhoni as the captain of the team and appointed Kepler Wessels as the head coach . They played their first game on April 19, 2008 against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali . The Super Kings won the game by 33 runs after posting 240 / 5 in 20 overs, which was the highest total of the tournament, a record surpassed by themselves in 2010 . The Super Kings ended the league stage with eight wins from 14 games and finished third on the points table . They beat the Kings XI Punjab by 9 wickets in the semifinal . The Super Kings faced the Rajasthan Royals in the final of the IPL at Mumbai . Batting first, the Super Kings scored 163 / 5 in 20 overs and lost the game by 3 wickets off the final delivery of the match . They also earned a spot in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 along with Rajasthan, but the tournament was cancelled due to the 2008 Mumbai Attacks and the Super Kings, along with Rajasthan, received $5 million each as compensation . Fleming, who had decided to retire from all forms of the game after the first season of the IPL, took over as the coach of the Super Kings team from Wessels for the next season which was to be held in South Africa . </P>

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