Flashback: When CSK signed MS Dhoni at the IPL auction on this day in 2008

On this day in 2008, the first-ever IPL auction saw the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sign legendary cricketer MS Dhoni for $1.5 million.

Dhoni was of the highest demand in the Marquee Players list after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag were representing their local cities as icon players.

The now-42-year-old triggered a bidding war between CSK and the Mumbai Indians (MI), with the former finally coming out victorious. However, no one could have predicted then that Dhoni and CSK would become as synonymous as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. For some, maybe even beyond.

Coming off leading India to the T20 World Cup title in the inaugural edition in 2007, Dhoni almost replicated the same with CSK in the maiden IPL season in 2008. The side marched into the final but suffered a last-ball defeat to the Rajasthan Royals.

However, it has been titles galore since, with CSK boasting the joint-most IPL titles alongside MI with five.

MS Dhoni is also the IPL's most successful captain with 133 wins in 226 games and led the Super Kings to the playoffs every season from 2008 to 2015. After a couple of seasons with the Rising Pune SuperGiant in 2016 and 2017, when CSK was defunct, the champion cricketer returned to the franchise, leading them to titles in 2018, 2021, and 2023.

Dhoni is also the seventh leading run-scorer in IPL history, with 5,082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.91.

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MS Dhoni was recently named the captain of IPL's greatest all-time team

With the 2024 season just around the corner, a panel of experts, including former legends Wasim Akram, Dale Steyn, Matthew Hayden, and Tom Moody, along with 70 other journalists, selected a 15-member all-time great IPL squad.

MS Dhoni was picked as captain thanks to his unmatched success with CSK over the years. The roster also consisted of other prominent names in the IPL- Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and David Warner, among others.

While Rohit Sharma was the only other captain in contention for the role, thanks to his five titles with MI, the Aussie duo of Moody and Hayden were bullish on Dhoni's ability to lead even average squads to glory.

MS Dhoni will return as captain of CSK in the 17th edition of the IPL, likely to begin at the end of March.

All-time greatest IPL squad:

MS Dhoni (c), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah.