I’m honoured to be retained by CSK, says Bravo

“I’m very happy and excited to be back in Yellow. To all our CSK fans eagerly waiting... this IPL we are back!” he added. The Lions pieced together their core set of players and then picked a heady mix of experience and youth to return with a 25-man squad bristling with talent. The squad comprises eight batsmen, seven all-rounders and 10 bowlers. 

“Personally, it is the best franchise that I have ever played for and I’m looking forward to it and meeting up with our captain MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, (Ravindra) Jadeja and also to the newcomers who are now going to be new members of our family. Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu to just name a few guys who are going to join us and wear the Yellow jersey... can’t wait!” 

Bravo turned out for CSK between 2011 and 2015, scoring 706 runs and taking 79 wickets. The Lions emerged as one of the most successful franchises in the opening decade by winning the IPL twice, finishing runners-up on four occasions and qualifying to the Playoffs in all eight seasons between 2008 and 2015.

“The return of CSK to the IPL is a big one, a special one, a moment that a lot of people were waiting for,” said Bravo, who bagged the Purple Cap for most wickets in 2013 and 2015. “It is one of the most successful franchises in IPL history. Definitely, IPL without CSK, it didn’t have the same impact it had in the previous years.”