 "Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is only the second skipper to win IPL five times. PTI")
With five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles under his belt, MS Dhoni is the joint-most successful skippers in the history of the competition. Dhoni equalled former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma’s tally with IPL triumph last year. In IPL 2023, Dhoni did not bat up in the order. Last season, across 16 matches, he batted in eight innings and faced 57 deliveries. The legendary India skipper slammed a total of three fours and 10 sixes in these 57 deliveries and gave fans plenty to cheer. He registered a strike rate of 182.46 last season. Dhoni recorded an average of 26 in the IPL 2023.
In the IPL 2023 season, Dhoni faced the lowest number of balls and scored the least number of runs. Before this IPL edition, on average, he faced 253 balls and scored 331 runs in a season. If numbers are analysed, in 2023, he faced only a quarter of the deliveries and scored just one-third of the runs compared to his previous averages.
MS Dhoni: A look at CSK captain’s top IPL moments
CSK’s top order was consistent and this gave Dhoni only a few balls to face lower down the order. The captain, despite his fitness issues, did make an impact. As many as 95 per cent of these balls have been between overs 17 and 20.
The IPL 2023 final against Gujarat Titans also marked Dhoni’s 250th match in the history of the tournament. With this, he became the first cricketer to achieve this feat in IPL. During his illustrious IPL career, Dhoni has mostly represented CSK, except for when the franchise was banned in 2016 and 2017. During that period, the World Cup-winning captain played for Rising Pune Supergiant.
Dhoni will be making a much-awaited comeback to the field on March 23 when his side take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of the league in Chennai. After clinching his fifth IPL title, he underwent knee surgery. Despite all the uncertainties over his fitness and comeback, the 42-year-old has joined the CSK camp. It will be interesting to see the role he takes up this season for the reigning champions.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDhoni’s all-time IPL record
Matches: 250 matches (most for a player)
Batting record: 5,082 runs at a strike rate of 136
Fielding record: 142 catches and 42 stumpings
IPL captaincy record: 133 wins from 226 matches (most for a captain); 91 defeats
Dhoni’s win/loss ratio as captain: 1.461
IPL titles: 5