Team Feature: Johannesburg Super Kings

The owners of the most consistent team in the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings, now also own the Johannesburg franchise in the CSA T20 Challenge. Chennai Super Kings Cricket Private Limited, the parent company of both teams, has been involved in cricket in one way or another for years now.

In the IPL, the Chennai-based team has won the title four times and reached the playoffs 11 times and the final nine times. Consistency on the field has been matched off the field, with the team owners sticking to a core group of players over the years, even as others chopped and changed their personnel.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been the face of CSK and its captain from the first season of the IPL in 2008. Even after retiring from all forms of international cricket, Dhoni is central to the CSK team. Other players who have had a long association with CSK include Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, and Stephen Fleming, who coaches them.

But, CSK’s association with the game is not limited to the highest level. On December 17th they announced the seventh edition of the Junior Super Kings inter-school T20 tournament. The tournament features 86 teams, and matches will be played across 15 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, where CSK is based.

“Junior Super Kings was first launched in 2012 as a 32-team tournament in Chennai. Since then, it has grown into a pan-Tamil Nadu tournament unearthing talent from across the state. We are excited that the tournament is back after a two-year break due to Covid,” said KS Viswanathan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited.

“Chennai Super Kings has always believed in giving back to the sport and Junior Super Kings is an important part of our plans to develop grassroots cricket across Tamil Nadu. The tournament has provided platforms for players like Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, and Sai Sudharsan, among others. I'm sure many future stars will be identified this year as well.”

The Super Kings also runs two academies for junior cricketers, which boast state-of-the-art facilities and elite coaching. In the last year alone, 16 graduates of the Super Kings Academy were selected to represent the City and District Under-14 teams in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association competition.

CSK Cricket Private Limited is the sporting arm of India Cements, who have been patrons of the game long before the IPL came along and well before there were any returns, either financial or in marketing terms. India Cements have employed cricketers, fielding them across divisions of league cricket in Chennai. The Chennai league is widely considered the most organized and competitive of all leagues in the country and has attracted talent from all over.

As the name suggests, India Cements are primarily in the highly competitive cement business. Founded in 1946, India Cements is the ninth-largest publicly listed cement company in the country. India Cements also has interests in shipping, captive power, and coal mining.

N Srinivasan, the former chairman of the International Cricket Council and former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is the Managing Director of India cement. India Cements has approximately 3000 employees and reported a revenue of US$ 560 million in the 2021 financial year.

“The Company’s vision is to create value on a sustained basis for all stakeholders through lofty standards of transparency, accountability, and leadership in cement manufacture,” said Srinivasan, marking the 75th year of India Cements. “The Company has stood the test of time and has rapidly grown from two plants and 1.3 million tonnes capacity in 1989 to eight integrated plants and two grinding units with a total capacity of 15.5 million tonnes”.