Two Years Out, Straight Back to the Top: Chennai's 2018 Comeback
Suspended for two seasons and written off as too old, Chennai Super Kings returned in 2018 and won the title with a Shane Watson hundred in the final.
Chennai Super Kings were one of the IPL's most successful teams in its first eight seasons. Then, in 2015, a committee appointed by India's Supreme Court suspended the franchise, along with Rajasthan Royals, for two seasons. For 2016 and 2017 the league was played without them, and MS Dhoni spent those years with Rising Pune Supergiant.
"Dad's Army"
Chennai returned for 2018. Before the auction they kept Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, then bought a squad full of experienced players in their thirties, including Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu. Critics called them "Dad's Army" and doubted they could keep up with younger, faster teams.
A dramatic start
The comeback began at the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians, the defending champions. Chennai were in trouble in the chase until Bravo hit 68 from 30 balls, and Kedar Jadhav, who had left the field injured earlier, came back to hit the winning runs with a ball to spare. Chennai won by one wicket.
They then lost their home ground. After one match in Chennai, protests over a water-sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka meant the rest of their home games were moved to Pune. It made little difference. Watson hit a hundred against Rajasthan there, Rayudu passed 600 runs for the season and Chennai finished second in the table.
Straight to the final
Chennai met table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 back at the Wankhede. Chasing 140 on a slow pitch, they lost wickets steadily and were seven down with plenty still needed, but Faf du Plessis stayed until the end with 67 not out and won the game in the last over.
Watson's final
The two teams met again in the final on 27 May 2018. Kane Williamson, who won the Orange Cap that season with 735 runs, made 47, and Yusuf Pathan's quick 45 not out took Sunrisers to 178 for 6.
Watson started very slowly against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, then took over. He hit 117 not out from 57 balls, with 11 fours and 8 sixes, and Chennai won by eight wickets with nine balls left. It was one of the finest innings ever played in an IPL final.
Why it still matters
The 2018 title was Dhoni's third as captain. He won two more, in 2021 and 2023, to share the record of five IPL titles with Mumbai Indians. The "Dad's Army" season also changed how teams thought about experience: in a format built for power, a side of calm, older players had shown they could still win.
Stats in this story are correct to the end of the 2025 IPL season.
