Scott Styris divulges Chennai Super Kings’ heartwarming gesture for former all-rounder: “His father had never been to India, so CSK flew him business”

Former New Zealand and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Scott Styris has revealed a commendable gesture from the IPL franchise for one of its former players. The 47-year-old recalled that CSK had flown Albie Morkel’s father in business class as he had never traveled to India.

Former South African all-rounder Morkel was one of the key members of the Chennai franchise in the initial years of the IPL. He represented CSK from 2008 to 2013, making some significant contributions with both the bat and ball.

Speaking on Jiocinema’s ‘Legends Lounge’, which also featured Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa, and Anil Kumble, Styris opened upon the generosity of Chennai’s owners. Speaking specifically about the Morkel incident, he revealed:

“His father had never been to India, so CSK flew him business, not in the contract; they didn’t have to do it.”

Styris represented the Chennai franchise in the 2011 edition of the IPL. He could not make much of an impact since he only played in a couple of matches.

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“You felt like a pampered kid” - Suresh Raina on CSK experience

Raina was one of the stalwarts of the Chennai franchise for many years. His long association with the team ended after the 2021 edition. Sharing his experience of being part of CSK, Raina revealed:

“They give a lot of bonuses, too. You always feel like doing something special for them; you felt like a pampered kid.”

Chennai and Mumbai Indians (MI) are the two most successful IPL franchises in the history of the T20 league. While MI have won the title five times, CSK have lifted the crown four times. However, both teams struggled in the 2022 edition, finishing at the bottom of the points table.

Both franchises finished with eight points each, winning four and losing 10 matches. Chennai finished ahead of Mumbai in the points table on the basis of having a better net run rate.