MS Dhoni IPL Career

There is no CSK without Dhoni and there is no Dhoni without CSK. These were the words of N Srinivasan, the former BCCI chief and ICC president, who also has stakes in the franchise.

MS Dhoni is an iconic cricketer who has had a massive impact in building the brand CSK as the keeper-batter was purchased by the franchise for a whopping INR 6 crores approximately, the then-highest bid for a player.

One cannot imagine the IPL without Dhoni that easily and he is paying it back to the fans with his on-field presence and is all set to play another season of IPL in 2024; a gift to the fans as he had acclaimed after CSK lifted their fifth IPL trophy in 2023. However, Dhoni’s swansong is yet to be confirmed as the CSK skipper has kept the fans guessing about his retirement for quite a while now.

MS Dhoni IPL Teams from 2008-24

MS Dhoni has been the face of Chennai Super Kings, right from its inception in 2008 till date. However, the five-time IPL champion was forced to play for a new franchise due to CSK’s suspension for two years and the former Indian skipper was bought by the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, where he had also captained for a season.

Dhoni has led CSK to five IPL titles, the joint-most in IPL history. He has also led the team to the playoffs on 12 occasions and to the finals on 10 occasions, the most by any team in the history of IPL. During his stint at the Rising Pune Supergiant, Dhoni suffered a huge backlash since his team was reeling at the bottom of the table in the 2016 season, and was sacked from captaincy in 2017 by the team management. However, just like how the champions script a fairytale comeback, Dhoni too scripted a comeback for ages with his beloved team in 2018 post their suspension, which won the trophy for the third time.

MS Dhoni has captained the Chennai Super Kings throughout these years, with Suresh Raina playing as his deputy during the early years. However, Dhoni’s decision to step down as the franchise’s skipper and hand over the baton to Ravindra Jadeja in IPL 2022 as a transitional move backfired heavily as CSK was seen nowhere in the top of the table and had terrible flashbacks of the team’s horrible 2020 season. CSK re-appointed Dhoni as the captain owing to Jadeja’s poor captaincy as well as his slump in form and to add fuel to the fire was the news of him being ruled out of the remainder of the IPL due to a bruised rib. The team bowed out in the league stage for the very second time but bounced back triumphantly in 2023.

MS Dhoni IPL Auction Price

In the 2008 IPL, Dhoni was roped in by Chennai Super Kings for USD 1.5 million. Since then the wicketkeeper-batter has never entered the auction. Following the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after being found guilty of breaching IPL regulations, the Sanjiv Goenka-owned Rising Pune Supergiants picked Dhoni as their first-choice player in the IPL draft in 2016 for INR 12.50 crore.

Dhoni returned to CSK after the ban on the franchise was lifted in 2018. He was named as the team's first-choice player for INR 15 crore in the 2018 IPL player retention. In the 2022 IPL player retention list, Dhoni was named as the second-choice player of the franchise for INR 12 crore.

MS Dhoni IPL Runs Year-wise

MS Dhoni has been a batting extravagance in the IPL. Dhoni has donned the role of a finisher for more than a decade and has given umpteen memories to his fans with his match-winning cameos. The veteran has played 250 matches and scored 5082 runs at a strike rate of 135.92.

MS Dhoni IPL wickets year-wise

Unlike his international career, MS Dhoni has not tried his hand at bowling, sticking to being behind the stumps.

MS Dhoni IPL Records

MS Dhoni is one of the rare successful cricketers to have played in the IPL right from its inception in 2008. He has been the joint-most successful skipper and the most capped player in IPL history.

MS Dhoni As Batter

MS Dhoni As Captain

MS Dhoni as Wicket-Keeper

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