'CSK didn't have an icon player like the other franchises': Former IPL COO talks about how MS Dhoni joined the team in 2008

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chief Operating Officer Sundar Raman has revealed the circumstances that led to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni finding a home at Chepauk.

In the IPL 2008 auction, the former Indian captain, who had just won the T20 World Cup in 2007, was the most expensive player at a whopping price of USD 1.5 million.

Speaking on the 22 Yarns podcast alongside host Gaurav Kapur, Raman touched upon a variety of topics, such as the beginning of MS Dhoni's association with CSK and how the IPL auction system came into being.

"The only thing sure about the 2008 IPL was that the marquee players had to be assigned to their respective franchises. Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai, Virender Sehwag for Delhi, Yuvraj Singh for Punjab, Sourav Ganguly for Kolkata. But MS Dhoni, who was at the peak of his stardom, was without a home," said Raman.

"So what did he do? He made Chennai his home. At the time, the icon player was not fixed a salary, and would be paid 15% more than the highest paid player on the team. Since CSK didn't have an icon player, they were a bit more free to bid for the player of their choice. So the Indian T20 captain went to Chennai because there was no surcharge or GST, so to speak," he added.

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How the IPL auction system came into being

The auction system is unique to the IPL

Raman said that before the first season of the IPL, the teams and venues had been finalised, along with the start date. But the organising committee didn't know how to distribute the players (apart from the pre-assigned 'icon' players) to the franchises.

"The challenge of the auction was one of those conversations that a few of us were having. There was me, Lalit (Modi), some franchises, a set of the operating management. As a part of the conversation, one of the franchises suggested an auction. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, we agreed that it was a good idea that would generate a lot of market interest," said Raman.

The IPL has been a resounding success since its inception in 2008. It has broken all records of viewership and is the most cash-rich league in the world.

MS Dhoni has been the captain of CSK since the first season and has led his team to 3 IPL titles.