Another feather was added to the cap of Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday in Chennai. The legendary former Indian captain led the Chennai Super Kings out for a record 200th time in IPL.
Dhoni has been the face of the franchise ever since he was picked up in the first auction before the inaugural season in 2008.
Dhoni has also led Rising Pune Supergiants briefly where he also played under the leadership of Steve Smith.
“It feels good to have survived so long,” Dhoni said at the toss after opting to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He was felicitated before the match.
Mr N Srinivasan, former Chairman of the ICC, former President of BCCI and TNCA, Mrs. Chitra Srinivasan and Mrs Rupa Gurunath present @msdhoni with a special memento commemorating the very special 200th 👏#TATAIPL | #CSKvRR | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/nixs6qsq2P
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2023
MS Dhoni in the IPL
| YEAR | Matches | Runs | Batting SR | Catches | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 238* | 5004 | 135.54 | 138 | 39 |
| 2023 | 4* | 26 | 260.00 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 232 | 123.40 | 9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 16 | 114 | 106.54 | 13 | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 | 200 | 116.27 | 15 | 1 |
| 2019 | 15 | 416 | 134.62 | 11 | 5 |
| 2018 | 16 | 455 | 150.66 | 11 | 3 |
| 2017 | 16 | 290 | 116.00 | 10 | 3 |
| 2016 | 14 | 284 | 135.23 | 8 | 4 |
| 2015 | 17 | 372 | 121.96 | 8 | 3 |
| 2014 | 16 | 371 | 148.40 | 3 | 1 |
| 2013 | 18 | 461 | 162.89 | 15 | 2 |
| 2012 | 19 | 358 | 128.77 | 12 | 2 |
| 2011 | 16 | 392 | 158.70 | 5 | 5 |
| 2010 | 13 | 287 | 136.66 | 5 | 6 |
| 2009 | 14 | 332 | 127.20 | 4 | 4 |
| 2008 | 16 | 414 | 133.54 | 6 | 0 |
He has been the leader for the majority of the franchise’s time in the league too with only Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja being the other captains for the side. Jadeja was handed over the leadership duties in 2022 before the captaincy went back to Dhoni mid-way.
Matches as CSK captain
| Player | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhoni | 2008-2023 | 200* | 120 | 78 | 0 | 1 | 60.60 |
| Jadeja | 2022-2022 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Raina | 2010-2019 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 30.00 |
MS Dhoni is set to become the first to captain 200 matches for a team in IPL.
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) April 12, 2023
Next highest:
146 - Rohit Sharma for MI
140 - Virat Kohli for RCB
108 - Gautam Gambhir for KKR
67 - David Warner for SRH
55 - Shane Warne for RR
52 - Virender Sehwag for DC
51 - Sachin Tendulkar for MI
MS Dhoni will captain #CSK for the 200th time in IPL tonight against RR.
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) April 12, 2023
No other player has captained even 150 games for a team; Rohit (146) and Kohli (140) next. #CSKvRR #TATAIPL2023
Dhoni is so far ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to leading the sides in the IPL, with five-time winner with Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma the next at 146 matches.
100+ plus matches as captain in IPL
| Player | Teams | Mat |
|---|---|---|
| Dhoni | (Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants) | 213 |
| Sharma | (Mumbai Indians) | 146 |
| Kohli | (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | 140 |
| Gambhir | (Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders) | 129 |
#IPL2023
— The Field (@thefield_in) April 12, 2023
🔊 A roar in Chepauk as MS Dhoni wins the toss on his 200th match as CSK captain pic.twitter.com/cV5QHpPpln
Dhoni, of course, has the record for most matches in the IPL too.
Most matches in the IPL
| Player | Mat | |
|---|---|---|
| Dhoni | (Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, Rising Pune Supergiants) | 238* |
| Karthik | (Delhi Daredevils, Gujarat Lions, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore) | 232 |
| Sharma | (Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians) | 230 |
| Kohli | (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | 226 |
| Jadeja | (Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Rajasthan Royals) | 214* |
200 matches as captain
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 12, 2023
11 playoff appearances
9 finals
4 TITLES 🏆🏆🏆🏆
MS Dhoni and CSK = an IPL love story 💛 #IPL2023 | #CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/3UudTRf5do
