3 IPL stars who captained a team featuring MS Dhoni in playing XI 

MS Dhoni is the most successful IPL captain of all time. Although Rohit Sharma has registered more title wins than Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings skipper holds the record for the most victories for a skipper in IPL history.

The Chennai-based franchise signed Dhoni at the inaugural auction and gave him the team's reins. In the next eight years, CSK became the most successful team of the league. MS Dhoni led his team to the top 4 every year and also lifted the trophy twice.

Unfortunately, the Chennai Super Kings got suspended for two years in 2016. But they returned to the league in style, winning their third trophy in 2018. MS Dhoni's team finished second in 2019, while in IPL 2020, they settled for the seventh position.

MS Dhoni represented the Rising Pune Supergiant for two years. However, those two seasons were not very memorable for Dhoni's fans.

Looking at MS Dhoni's captaincy record, it goes without saying any team will prefer having him as the captain if he is in the playing XI. But so far, three players have had the honor of captaining an IPL franchise's playing XI featuring MS Dhoni in it.

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3. MS Dhoni played under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy in IPL 2017

MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane have a similar approach (Image courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Ajinkya Rahane has been the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team for quite some time now. Rahane also captained the Indian team during its Zimbabwe tour in 2015. Surprisingly, the right-handed batsman had never got an opportunity to play the skipper's role in IPL until the 2017 season.

Steve Smith, the regular captain of the Rising Pune Supergiant, missed the team's match against the Delhi Capitals because of an upset stomach. Although MS Dhoni was present in the match squad, the team management appointed Ajinkya Rahane as the stand-in skipper.

Rahane had a forgettable captaincy debut as the Rising Pune Supergiant suffered a 97-run loss at the MCA Stadium. Delhi scored 205/4,. In reply, the home team managed only 108 runs in 16.1 overs.

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2. Steve Smith replaced MS Dhoni as Rising Pune Supergiant skipper in IPL 2017

News alert: Mahendra Singh Dhoni removed as captain of IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiants, replaced by Australian Steve Smith.

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) February 19, 2017

MS Dhoni captained the Rising Pune Supergiant in their first IPL season. However, the Pune-based franchise could not get going. Injuries to some star players led to their exit before the playoffs began.

Since Pune finished in the lower half of the points table, the team owners decided to name a new skipper for the next season. Steve Smith then took over the reins of the team from MS Dhoni.

The move to appoint a new skipper proved to be a masterstroke as Rising Pune Supergiant qualified for their maiden IPL Final. Unfortunately, they lost the summit clash by a close margin, but the team's fans were satisfied with their performance.

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1. Suresh Raina led Chennai Super Kings despite MS Dhoni's presence in CLT20

Suresh Raina generally leads the Chennai Super Kings in MS Dhoni's absence. He is the only other player to have led the Chennai-based IPL franchise.

While Raina is generally the vice-captain when MS Dhoni is in the playing XI, the CSK skipper surprisingly allowed his deputy to lead the team in a Champions League T20 match against Yorkshire.

The Chennai Super Kings had no chance of qualifying for the next round of the tournament in 2012. Hence, Dhoni took a rest and allowed Raina to lead the team. He even handed over the wicketkeeping gloves to Wriddhiman Saha.

MS Dhoni bowled two overs in that match, conceding 25 runs. CSK received a 141-run target to win the dead rubber. Subramaniam Badrinath's 38-ball 47 ensured the Super Kings ended their campaign on a winning note.