Social media goes wild as MS Dhoni makes history in Chennai

MS Dhoni has been a part of the IPL since the competition’s inception in 2008, representing CSK in 15 seasons while appearing as a player for the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) when the Chennai-based franchise was banned for two years following the spot-fixing scandal.

Overall, MS Dhoni has featured in 259 games in the IPL following his appointment as the CSK skipper 17 seasons ago. Also, he holds the record for being the most successful captain in the cash-rich league, having guided CSK to five titles in the event. CSK’s last trophy in the tournament came in 2023. Other than MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma has led the Mumbai Indians (MI) to five IPL titles.

MOST WINS FOR A PLAYER IN IPL

1. MS Dhoni – 150
2. Ravindra Jadeja – 133
3. Rohit Sharma – 133
4. Dinesh Karthik – 125
5. Suresh Raina – 122

Earlier, the legendary cricketer became the first player to complete 5000 runs as a wicketkeeper-batter in the IPL.

The 2011 World Cup-winning captain has been in sensational form in the IPL and is yet to be dismissed in this year’s edition.

In the nine matches that he has played for the CSK in IPL 2024, MS Dhoni has produced sensational cameos on multiple occasions.

For instance, his explosive unbeaten knock of 37 off 16 deliveries versus the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals is best remembered for his four sixes against Anrich Nortje.

Though MS Dhoni failed to win the match for CSK, he went a step ahead in their fixture against the Mumbai Indians, where he smashed a hat-trick of maximums against Hardik Pandya to be on the winning side that night.

On the whole, his statistics in IPL 2024 are mindboggling – he’s made 96 runs in the competition with an unbeaten 37 against the Delhi Capitals being his highest score. Yet, it is his strike-rate that has been a major talking point in the tournament. Remarkably, MS Dhoni has made these runs with a strike-rate of 259.46, something which has resulted in calls for his inclusion in India’s squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US.

Former India fast bowlers, Irfan Pathan and Varun Aaron, have opined that MS Dhoni could be a wildcard entry into the Rohit Sharma-captained team, which is trying to end a long wait for an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy for more than a decade. India last won an ICC event in 2013, when MS Dhoni masterminded their triumph in the Champions Trophy in England.

“We could see a wildcard entry in India’s T20 World Cup squad… MS Dhoni. Actually, it’s the wildest card,” Varun Aaron said in a conversation with Star Sports.

“If he says he wants to play the T20 World Cup, no one will deny him that chance. It may not happen, but no one will mind, no one will have a problem with it. The guy is batting so well,” Irfan Pathan quipped.

On the other hand, former India opener Virender Sehwag suggested that MS Dhoni could be a good choice as a lower-order batter in the Indian line-up for the World Cup, given the form the former CSK skipper has been in the IPL.

“Inka (MS Dhoni) 255 ka strike rate hai aur ausat (average) hai he nahi kyuki out he nahi hua hai banda. 34 gendo mei 87 runs banaye hai abhi tak. T20 World Cup mei jo humara schedule hai, jisme hum khelenge. Kitni achi teams se khelenge pehle round mei? Pehle round mei toh batting he nahi aani. (MS Dhoni has a strike of 255 and doesn’t have an average because he hasn’t been dismissed yet. He has hit 87 runs in 34 balls this season. The kind of schedule we have for the T20 World Cup, how many good teams will we be playing against? He won’t get to bat in the first round,” ex-India batter Virender Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

“Sirf keeping he karni hai, vo toh waha bhi kar rahe hai vo (Dhoni). Jo batting aani hai vo toh 3 he teams ke khilaf aani hai: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Pakistan bhi mei itna nahi maan raha lekin chalo Pakistan bhi le lo toh 4 teams ke khilaaf he batting aani hai vo bhi last ke 3 overs mei. Toh inse behtar kaun hai phir? (He will only have to keep, which he is already doing (for CSK). (Dhoni’s) batting will come only against 3 teams: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Even if you consider Pakistan, he will have to bat against 4 teams and only in the last 3 overs. Who is better than him then?” he added.

While former cricketers may be urging MS Dhoni to come out of international retirement to feature in the T20 World Cup in June, current India skipper Rohit Sharma isn’t convinced of the idea because the Ranchi-born wicketkeeper-batter would not be interested in doing so.

“Quite impressed, watching DK bat a couple of nights back, and Dhoni as well, came to play four balls, made a huge impact, that was the difference. It will be hard to convince MS although he is coming to the US, to do something else. He is into golf now. DK will be easier to convince I guess,” Rohit Sharma stated.