Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni) also known as “Captain Cool” is one of the most successful captains ever in both international cricket and in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Under his leadership, the Chennai Super Kings became one of the most dominant teams in the IPL, winning five IPL trophies. Not only as a captain, his contribution with the bat and behind the wickets has also been very impressive which played a key role in the success of CSK in the IPL.
MS Dhoni IPL Captaincy and CSK IPL History
MS Dhoni’s Appointment as CSK Captain and Early IPL Struggles (2008-2009)
MS Dhoni was appointed as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings in the first season of the tournament in the year 2008. In the inaugural edition of the IPL, CSK successfully qualified for the finals but faced a defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling clash. In 2009, CSK again qualified for playoffs but lost to RCB in the second semi-final of the tournament.
CSK’s Back-to-Back IPL Titles Under MS Dhoni’s Leadership (2010-2011)
In the third edition of the Indian Premier League, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, CSK became the IPL Champions for the first time by defeating Mumbai Indians in the final. The team maintained the same momentum in the next season too and again became the champions, defeating RCB by 58 runs in the final. Two back-to-back IPL trophies were a result of the exceptional leadership skills of the captain MS Dhoni and the consistent performance of the side on the field.
Consistent Final Appearances But Missed Trophies (2012-2013)
In IPL 2012, CSK qualified for the final of the tournament for the consecutive third time but faced a defeat against KKR by 5 wickets. In IPL 2013, it was for the second time, Dhoni vs Mumbai Indians in IPL finals, and this time, his contribution with the bat was also very impressive. He scored a total of 461 runs in 18 matches with an average of 41.90 and an excellent strike rate of 162.89 including 4 half-centuries. However, CSK had to face a defeat in the IPL-6 final against Mumbai Indians but, CSK was still the most successful side with 2 trophies and consecutive 4 finals in a row.
CSK’s Resurgence After Suspension and IPL Glory (2014-2023)
In 2014, CSK again qualified for playoffs but lost to Kings XI Punjab in the Semi-final while in the next season, lost the final against Mumbai Indians. After facing a ban of 2 years, while returning in 2018, CSK won the IPL titles for the third time and again the captaincy of MS Dhoni was one of the primary reasons. He also made 455 runs in 16 contests with an outstanding batting average of 75.83 and a strike rate of 150.66 which includes 3 fifties as well. In IPL 2019, CSK played against MI in the final but could not win the title while IPL 2020 was one of the worst seasons for the CSK as they finished at the 7th place in the points table.
In 2021, CSK made a huge comeback by winning their fourth IPL title but in 2022, their performance was not satisfactory. In IPL 2023, MS Dhoni’s leadership again helped CSK clinch their another IPL title becoming equal to Mumbai Indians in terms of total IPL trophies. The last season of the IPL was not that good for the side as they finished in fifth place in the table.
Let’s have a look at the journey of CSK under MS Dhoni’s Captaincy:
| IPL SEASON | SUMMARY |
| 2008 | Runners-up |
| 2009 | 3rd Runners-up |
| 2010 | Champions |
| 2011 | Champions |
| 2012 | Runners-up |
| 2013 | Runners-up |
| 2014 | 2nd Runners-up |
| 2015 | Runners-up |
| 2016 | Suspended |
| 2017 | Suspended |
| 2018 | Champions |
| 2019 | Runners-up |
| 2020 | Group Stage |
| 2021 | Champions |
| 2022 | Group Stage |
| 2023 | Champions |
MS Dhoni was the captain of CSK in a total of 14 seasons in the tournament, and under his leadership, CSK qualified for playoffs 12 times, became the champion 5 times and finished as runner-up on 5 occasions.
MS Dhoni IPL Records as Captain
Let’s have a look at MS Dhoni’s IPL Records and Stats:
- Most IPL Wins as Captain: Under his captaincy, CSK became champions five times (in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023)
- Most IPL Matches as a Captain: He appeared in a total of 226 IPL contests as a captain.
- Most Sixes in IPL by a Captain: With 204 sixes, Dhoni holds the record for most IPL sixes as a captain.
- Consecutive Playoffs: Dhoni Led his teams to nine consecutive playoffs in IPL.
As of now, Dhoni has played a total of 264 IPL matches in which he scored 5243 runs with an impressive batting average of 39.13 and a strike rate of 137.54 with 24 half-centuries.
