Chennai, March 22: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 gears up for its commencement on March 28, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted their ‘Roar 2026’ fan event at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. During this event, the franchise unveiled its inaugural ‘Hall of Fame’, inducting former players Suresh Raina and Matthew Hayden.
The ‘Hall of Fame’ was established to honor the franchise’s two most celebrated cricketers. Known as ‘Chinna Thala’, left-handed batsman Raina represented CSK from 2008 to 2021, contributing to the team’s victories in the IPL titles of 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021.
Raina played a crucial role in winning the Champions League T20 twice, in 2010 and 2014, and was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2014. He remains the second-highest run-scorer for CSK, amassing 4,687 runs, including one century and 33 half-centuries.
On the other hand, former left-handed opener Matthew Hayden played for CSK from 2008 to 2010 and was part of the team that clinched the IPL title in 2010. He became the first player from the franchise to win the ‘Orange Cap’ in the 2009 season, scoring 572 runs. The Australian batsman accumulated a total of 1,107 runs for CSK.
Under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings will kick off their campaign against the inaugural season champions Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30. They will then face Punjab Kings at Chepauk on April 3, followed by a match against the current champions Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on April 5. The team will host Delhi Capitals at their home ground on April 11.