Chennai Super Kings is one of the two franchises in the Indian Premier League and has achieved a great deal of success in its history. In fact, they are the most consistent team in IPL history. CSK is just behind the Mumbai Indians’ tally of six IPL titles. Chennai has won the IPL five times: in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021.
Apart from the win, they have qualified for the playoff stage in the IPL 12 times out of the 14 seasons they have played, which is just extraordinary consistency. Apart from winning, they have finished as runners-up five times. And in this article, we will cover CSK’s journey to the playoffs that they have made in IPL history.
How many times CSK qualified for Playoffs
| Season | Group Standing | Final Standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3rd out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2009 | 2nd out of 8 | Semi-finalists |
| 2010 | 3rd out of 8 | Champions |
| 2011 | 2nd out of 10 | Champions |
| 2012 | 4th out of 9 | Runners-up |
| 2013 | 1st out of 9 | Runners-up |
| 2014 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2015 | 1st out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2018 | 2nd out of 8 | Champions |
| 2019 | 2nd out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2021 | 2nd out of 8 | Champions |
| 2023 | 2nd out of 10 |
1. 2008 season – Runners-up
Chennai Super Kings was one of the two teams that made the finals of the inaugural season in 2008. They finished the group stage in third place with 8 wins out of 14. Then, they won the semi-final against Punjab by nine wickets to make to the final. However, they lost the all-important match to Rajasthan Royals in the final by 3 wickets to end as runners-up.
2. 2009 season – Semi-finals (playoffs)
CSK did well in the next season in 2009, as well as in South Africa. They were the second best team in the group with 8 wins out of 14 games. But they couldn’t carry the performance into the semi-final against RCB and lost by six wickets to end up in third place.
3. 2010 season – Champion
After two good performances in the first two IPL seasons, CSK won their maiden title in 2010. They finished third in the group with seven wins out of 14 games. They faced the defending champions, Deccan Chargers, in the semi-final and won by 38 runs to play their second final. CSK locked horns with MI in the final and won by 22 runs to lift their maiden title.
4. 2011 season – Champion (second title)
Chennai Super Kings defended their title in 2011 successfully. Firstly, they ended the group stage in second place with nine wins out of 14. Then they beat RCB by 6 wickets in Qualifier 1 to make their second successive final. In the final, they beat RCB once again by 58 runs to win their second title.
5. 2012 season – Runners-up
CSK had a brilliant chance to write history and become the first team to win three successive IPL editions. They started with some hiccups and were fourth in the group with 8 wins out of 16. But then, they won the Eliminator against MI by 38 runs and Qualifier 2 against Delhi by 86 runs to qualify for their third straight final. It was a dream come true moment, but CSK fell five wickets short in the final against KKR and finished runners-up.
6. 2013 season – Runners-up
The 2013 season also had the same story with the Chennai Super Kings. They were the best team in the group with 11 wins out of 16. Then they won against MI in Qualifier 1 to make their fourth straight IPL final. MI also qualified for the final, and this time, CSK lost to Mumbai by 23 runs and finished second in the tournament.
7. 2014 season – Playoffs
CSK made the 2014 playoffs as well after finishing the group in third place. They won nine out of 14 games, the same as KKR. But Kolkata had a better NRR than CSK. In the Eliminator, Chennai faced Punjab and lost the game by 24 runs, and their season came to an end.
8. 2015 season – Runners-up
The 2015 season was another good one for the Yellow Army. They were the table-toppers with nine wins out of 14 games in the group. CSK then played MI in the Qualifier 1 and lost by 25 runs. In Qualifier 2, Chennai won by 3 wickets against RCB to make their sixth IPL final. But MI beat them the third time in the season by 41 runs, and CSK finished as runners-up.
9. 2018 season – Champion (third title)
Chennai Super Kings and Rajathan Royals got suspended for 2016 and 2017. Thus, they made their comebacks in the 2018 season. And how successfully CSK recovered! They finished the group stage in second place with nine wins out of 14. CSK then defeated SRH by two wickets in Qualifier 1 to advance to their seventh IPL final. Then, in the final, they beat SRH again by 8 wickets to win their third IPL title.
10. Season 2019 – Runners-up
CSK made sure that they would be defending their title in 2019. They finished the group stage second with nine wins out of 14 games. They played MI in the Qualifier 1 and lost by 6 wickets. In Qualifier 2, they beat DC by 6 wickets to qualify for the final. In the final, they faced MI for the fourth time in the tournament, and it was their fourth loss against them. CSK lost the final by just 1 run.
11. 2021 season – Champion (fourth title)
CSK made history in 2021 when they became only the second team to win four or more IPL titles. CSK were the second best team in the group with nine wins out of 14 games. Then, they registered a 4-wicket win against DC in Qualifier 1 to make the final. In the final, they squared off against KKR and won by 27 runs to lift their fourth title.