IPL Players Who Failed At Mumbai Indians, But Flourished At CSK

Hardik Pandya could make a move to CSK before IPL 2027 [Source: AFP]

Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, two of the best IPL franchises, have carved a name for themselves, and the two teams stand way above the rest of the teams in the tournament. Both franchises have won five IPL titles (most in IPL history), and several high-profile players have played for both squads.

Another high-profile name that can potentially be added to the list could be the current Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik Pandya. According to the latest reports, CSK is one of the franchises interested in acquiring Hardik in a trade deal.

Getting Hardik Pandya won’t mean that he’ll fire for them right from the word go. In the past, there have been several big names who have joined CSK from MI, but have failed to deliver the goods. However, there also have been players who have flopped for MI, but have done wonders for the Yellow Army.

In this piece, we take a look at IPL players who flopped for MI, but were outstanding for the Super Kings.

1) Michael Hussey

Mr Cricket, Michael Hussey, was never meant to succeed in T20s. He was tailor-made for ODIs and Tests, and when CSK acquired him in 2008, eyebrows were raised as Hussey was known for his skillfulness, rather than brute power.

However, Hussey transformed the CSK batting lineup, and he scored truckloads of runs for them in the IPL. In fact, in the 2013 season, the Australian legend hammered 733 runs, and was one of the best players in the league.

(Hussey for CSK and MI)

For CSK, the left-handed batter amassed 1768 runs. In 2014, he went to the Mumbai Indians, but things didn’t go smoothly for the great batter. He played for just one season and registered 209 runs in nine matches, with a strike rate of just 114.84. It simply didn’t work out for Hussey as he couldn’t replicate the CSK numbers in MI jersey.

2) Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar was a special bowler when he was representing the Chennai Super Kings. He was bowling at a decent pace, and had impeccable control over his lines and lengths, and was often guaranteed to give wickets inside the power play.

From 2018 to 2024, Chahar was an integral part of the CSK setup, and he also won multiple IPL titles with the franchise. He has played 76 games for CSK, and has 76 wickets to his name, with an economy rate of 7.91. However, things changed when he joined the Mumbai Indians in 2025.

(Chahar for CSK and MI)

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The speed dipped, the accuracy was missing, and the wicket-taking ability diminished. So far, Chahar has played 22 matches for MI and has only scalped 19 wickets, with an economy rate touching 9.64 runs per over.

A star for CSK and an underwhelming performer for MI, this has been Deepak Chahar’s IPL story so far.

3) Anshul Kamboj

One of the leading wicket-takers for CSK in IPL 2026, Anshul Kamboj became a regular member of the playing XI due to his sheer ability to take wickets at regular intervals. With Khaleel Ahmed ruled out of IPL 2026, Kamboj took the wicket-taking responsibility and finished with 21 scalps to his name.

In IPL 2025, he only played eight matches and snared 8 wickets to become a regular member of the squad. However, that was not the case when he played for MI. He represented the team in 2024, and played only 3 matches.

The right-arm pacer only managed to pick up 2 wickets, with an economy of 11.40, as the Mumbai Indians released him before CSK acquired him.

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