MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni’s excellence has been witnessed by all IPL supporters on several occasions. Following his 15-year journey in the tournament, one could hear and read numerous success stories of him. Utilising some of his brilliant qualities such as calmness, composure, and astuteness to his best, Dhoni has led his IPL team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), to title victory, an impressive four times. Currently, CSK are the second-most successful team in the history of the league, following Mumbai Indians (five title wins).   

Back in 2008, holding the reins of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) season, MS Dhoni took his team to the final against Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals (RR). However, Royals looked better in the final game, which resulted in a three-wicket defeat of Dhoni and his men to end their journey as runners-up. Along with captaincy, the veteran shone with the bat as well, scoring 414 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 133.54.

During the second edition, Dhoni’s Super Kings struggled in the initial phase of the tournament, winning only one game out of the first five matches. However, with his incredible leadership skills, CSK succeeded in making it to the knockout stage. Albeit, in the crucial semi-final match, a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated CSK by six wickets and foiled Dhoni’s plan to lift the trophy. With the bat, Dhoni concluded the season with 332 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 127.20.

After failing to win their maiden title in a couple of editions, CSK finally won their first trophy in 2010, beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 22 runs in the decider. Earlier, playing the league round, Dhoni showcased his mettle with the bat in a must-win match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Dharamsala. Riding on his unbeaten knock of 54 runs off 29 deliveries, CSK pulled off the 193-run target with four wickets in hand.

In 2011, the veteran helped his team to advance to the knockout round with nine victories in the league stage. In the Playoffs and final, Super Kings outclassed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and claimed their second title under the dynamic leader. The CSK skipper made a contribution of 392 runs with his bat in 16 games of the tournament at a remarkable strike rate of 158.70. 

With incredible success in 2010 and 2011, CSK arrived as a dangerous side in 2012 as well. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK qualified for the final but lost against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Apart from captaincy, the veteran looked fine with the bat by racking up 358 runs in 19 matches at a strike rate of 128.77. Thereafter, in the 2013 edition, Dhoni looked exceptional and notched up 461 runs in 18 contests at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 162.89. However, his team again choked in the final after facing a 23-run loss at the iconic Eden Gardens.

After the fabulous 2011 triumph, Super Kings played quality cricket under MS Dhoni and qualified for the knockouts in every IPL edition till 2015, but failed to win another title. In the same year, CSK was handed a two-year ban for a spot-fixing and betting scandal that shook the cricket fraternity in 2013. 

In the absence of CSK, the dashing wicketkeeper batter became a part of a new team in the cricket carnival named, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPSG). Playing for his new franchise, Dhoni looked out of colour, both with his bat and the captaincy. With the bat, he couldn’t give his best and managed to score 284 runs in 14 contests. In 2017, Dhoni relinquished RPSG captaincy and amassed 290 runs in 16 matches.

After serving RPSG, Dhoni donned a CSK jersey yet again in 2018. This time, he again got his hands on the prestigious trophy, following his team’s comfortable eight-wicket triumph against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Talking about CSK’s oldest servant’s batting display, the veteran smashed 455 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of 150.66. In 2019, his team played aggressive cricket again and ended up as the finalist after losing to the arch-rivals, MI by 1 run.

However, it was in 2020, when Captain Cool failed to take Super Kings to the knockout stage for the first time in the history of the league. In 2021, Dhoni struggled with the bat with 114 runs in 16 matches but bagged another trophy for Super Kings with his captaincy. Compared to the initial IPL seasons, Dhoni’s graph as a batter has gone down in the league but in the upcoming season, his fans are expecting to wrap up his IPL career in some style. In 2022, he handed the captaincy mantle to his colleague Ravindra Jadeja just a few days before the competition. However, the fearless all-rounder’s horrendous display as a skipper forced Dhoni to take up the captaincy role again. 

Let’s have a look at some stunning records of Dhoni in the T20 league

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