Heralded as one of the demi-gods of Indian cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a matchwinner in himself and is an icon of Indian cricket.
While the ex-India skipper’s records for the tricolor is unmatched having won every possible ICC trophy, he has been equally successful in the IPL as well.
Popularly known as ‘Thala’ (Meaning- Boss) by the die-hard fans of the franchise, he has been one of the flagbearer of the world’s biggest cricket league- the Indian Premier league.
Much like the tournament itself, MS Dhoni since the inception of the league has been a talismanic figure for the franchise. After being bought as the highest paid player in the inaugural edition, MS Dhoni has guided the franchise to 3 IPL title- the most won by any captain.
Over the years, MS Dhoni has established himself as one the best in his craft and with 7 days to go for IPL 2020, we take a look at 7 such facts about Dhoni that will blow your mind!
1. Only player to win 100 IPL games as captain (CSK in IPL 2020)
The IPL may be a domestic T20 league, but winning it is as hard as any tournament. It is because of the difficulties in building a solid sqaud by buying players through the auction process. After that, the task of finding the right balance for the team to compete at different venues is hard as well.
Despite doing all these, many teams have failed as captains find it hard to bring out the best from the players. If there is one captain who has done this consistently, it is MS Dhoni. He has been successful since 2008 and holds the record for being the only captain to win 100 IPL games.
2. Only player to have captained his coaches (CSK in IPL 2020)
Chennai’s adopted son MS Dhoni holds a peculiar record of having captained his present coaches. CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming played 10 games for the franchise in the inaugural edition. He then went to become the coach of the team. Michael Hussey played seven seasons while Lakshmipathy Balaji played three seasons under Dhoni. They were appointed as the batting and bowling coaches respectively, in 2018.
3. Most stumping in IPL history (CSK in IPL 2020)
Dhoni also holds the record for most stumpings in IPL history. Dhoni is number one in this case with 38 stumpings. Dinesh Karthik, who is in the second place, has effected 30 stumpings in IPL so far.
MS Dhoni can stump out batsmen at lightning-quick speed. Once during a match between India and Australia, Dhoni took just 0.09 seconds to stump out George Bailey.
4. Most appearances in an IPL final
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the player with the experience of most final games in the IPL. He has played nine of the 12 IPL finals so far and during this time he has also won the IPL 3 times. Dhoni has played in 8 finals for Chennai Super Kings. At the same time, he has also played a final for the Rising Pune Supergiants.
Out of the eight finals played for Chennai Super Kings, he has won three of them. At the same time, he could not win the final that he played for Pune Supergiants. In this case, after Dhoni, Suresh Raina grabs the second spot, who has played eight final matches in IPL.
5. Most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in IPL history
If there is one aspect of Dhoni that is being undervalued, then it is his wicket-keeping. He may not possess the athleticism of the likes of Adam Gilchrist but makes up with his unique technique.
The CSK captain stays closer to stumps than keepers normally do, which gives him that extra bit of time to inflict stumpings and run-outs. With time his effectiveness has increased. he has aged finely like wine. With 94 catches and 38 stumpings, he holds the record for most dismissals (132) in IPL history.
6. Wicket-keeper with most dismissals in IPL history
MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the best finishers of cricket who takes the game to the last ball. His batting style in the death overs of the match is something that every cricketer aspires to achieve.
In his 15-year long career, we have witnessed many times when he has won a game in the last over.
In the IPL too, there have been many instances when in the final over, he finished the match by his stormy batting and won the game for his team. Even in the IPL, he has scored a total of 564 runs in the 20th over.
7.Only player to have scored 500 runs in the 20th over
MS Dhoni is rated as one of the best finishers of all-time. His composure in the death overs is a skill that every player wants to replicate. In his 15-year career, the world has witnessed many matches in which he has dominating the final overs.
CSK’s basic batting strategy of keeping wickets in hand to help their captain to tee off in the death overs has reaped them rich rewards. Especially in the 20th over, Dhoni has delivered almost every time irrespective of who the bowler is.
The fact that he is the only player to have scored 500+ runs in the 20th over is magnificent. He has scored 564 runs. Kieron Pollard stands a distant second with 281 runs.
Editors pick
