Why MS Dhoni turned down the IPL Marquee Player offer?

There are only a few cricketers who could challenge MS Dhoni in terms of having a sharper cricketing brain. The legendary cricketer has won his team many matches with his leadership qualities alone. However, in one of his recent interviews, the world got to see exactly how shrewd and wily he is off the field as well.

The wicketkeeper-batter was the highest-paid player in the first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in 2008. Dhoni, who had a base price of $400,000, was roped in by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a whopping $1.5 million (approximately Rs 6 crores). The 42-year-old revealed that he was offered to be a marquee player by a franchise but he tactfully turned that offer down, so as to go into the auction. He felt that he would go for a larger amount in the auction as he had just led India to the T20 World Cup title in 2007.

“When the announcement was made for five marquee players, a certain franchise approached me to become one of them. I had to make a quick decision. As the captain of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team, I thought I would easily go for 1 million dollars. So, I decided to take a risk and enter the auction. If two out of the three teams that didn’t have marquee players showed interest in me, along with the other franchises, this would increase my chances of getting a higher price,” MS Dhoni explained to Star Sports.

“When a cricket player becomes a marquee player, the franchise owner thinks that they have to pay 10 or 15 percent more to that player. So, in order to avoid this, I decided to enter the auction. This way, if any franchise without a marquee player bought me, I had a better chance of getting more money. During the auction, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought me for 1.5 million dollars (approximately 6 crore). My strategy worked at that point in time,” Dhoni explained.

MS Dhoni has won five IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings 

Ultimately, the move paid off big time for Dhoni. After CSK acquired his services, Dhoni was named their captain and he soon became one of Chennai's favourite sons and of course, the face of the franchise. Under his leadership, Chennai won the coveted IPL title on five occasions. They also became the first team to win IPL titles in consecutive years.

The inspirational captain led CSK to their fifth title last year and would be hoping to taste success once again in IPL 2024 in what is forecasted to be his last dance. In IPL 2023, he had knee issues but even that couldn't deter his spirits. After the tournament ended, he underwent surgery and is currently sweating it out to get ready for the upcoming season. One more IPL title will help him surpass Rohit Sharma, who has also won five IPL titles as a captain.