In 2008, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the most expensive player bought in the very first IPL auction. The young explosive batter with astute cricketing instincts was coveted by many. But Ranchi’s Mahi turned into Chennai’s Thala in no time. CSK became Mahi’s Yellow love story. Captain Cool took his team to 9 IPL Finals, 11 Playoffs and brought home the trophy 4 times. If this wasn’t enough he became the first Indian skipper to win the now-defunct Champions Trophy T20 tournament twice. Undoubtedly, MSD is the most successful skipper of the IPL. Seeing Mahi hanging his boots from captaincy came as an utter shock to the fans. Having achieved so much over the years Dhoni broke several impregnable records so let’s take a look at 5 Biggest Captaincy Records of MS Dhoni in IPL:
5. Second Highest Winning Percentage
Dhoni has the second-highest winning percentage as captain in IPL. And the highest winning percentage over 150 matches of captaincy. Moreover, in the 204 matches where Dhoni has led the CSK side, the team has won 121 times with a commendable winning percentage of 59.60. While 82 matches ended in defeat for the Chennai Super Kings, one match did not yield any result.
4. Second Highest Title Wins
When it comes to trophies, Dhoni has won the IPL title four times with CSK – the second-highest after Rohit Sharma who has won five as the Mumbai Indians skipper.
3. Highest appearances in IPL finals by a Captain
CSK were runners-up thrice with the latest one being 2020 when the team came close to winning the title but were beaten by MI in the final. CSK under MSD have played 9 IPL finals. Dhoni has also won the Champions League T20 title twice in 2010 and 2014.
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2. Highest T20 matches played by a Captain
During the IPL 2021 final against Kolkata Knight Riders, Dhoni became the first-ever cricketer to play 300 T20 matches as captain and also the oldest skipper to win the tournament.
1. Oldest Captain to win an IPL title
In 2021, the 40-year-old veteran edged past Shane Warne who had won the inaugural edition with Rajasthan Royals at the age of 39. MSD also overtook Adam Gilchrist who guided Deccan Chargers to IPL victory in the 2009 season at the age of 37.
This IPL edition would be very varied from the other editions with major changes transpiring before its commencement. Many major faces would be seen adapting new roles be it Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Virat Kohli or Suresh Raina. Stay tuned for further updates, the action begins March 26.
