Stats: MS Dhoni's exceptional numbers as CSK captain
MS Dhoni will be playing under Ruturaj Gaikwad in the IPL 2024.
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies, has decided to step down from the leadership duties ahead of CSK’s opening encounter with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 17th edition of the IPL. Dhoni has handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was also retained alongside him ahead of the auction. MS Dhoni has been leading the CSK franchise right from its inception in the year 2008 and has certainly left a legacy behind him now.
The 42-year-old MS Dhoni was one of the 19 players to be retained by CSK for IPL 2024 along with the newly appointed captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dubey among others. In 14 seasons, Dhoni captained the Chennai side in 235 matches out of the 249 games the franchise has played so far. Under him the team won 128 games, losing 82, and two games had no result. He has a winning percentage of 59.37% as the Ranchi-born Dhoni won five trophies for CSK in the years 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023 the joint highest with Rohit Sharma.
Most matches as captain for single team in IPL:
| Captains | Matches | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Winning% |
| MS Dhoni (CSK) | 212 | 128 | 82 | 0 | 2 | 59.31 |
| Rohit Sharma (MI) | 158 | 87 | 67 | 4 | 0 | 55.06 |
| Virat Kohli (RCB) | 143 | 66 | 70 | 3 | 4 | 48.16 |
| Gautam Gambhir (KKR) | 108 | 61 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 56.48 |
| David Warner (SRH) | 67 | 35 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 52 |
The joint-most successful skipper in the history of IPL, Dhoni has scored 4660 runs as a captain in the tournament. Notably, he played two seasons for the Rising Pune Super Giants franchise in the years 2016 and 2017 when CSK was banned. While he was the leader of the side in 2016, it was Steve Smith who took charge in the 2017 edition. In 178 innings while donning the captaincy hat, he smashed 23 fifties at an average and strike rate of 40.88 and 137.36 respectively with the highest score of 84*. Dhoni has scored the second most runs as a captain in the history of the tournament after Virat Kohli who is at the top for his 4881 runs in the league.
Most runs as captain for single IPL team:
| Captains | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | HS |
| Virat Kohli (RCB) | 143 | 142 | 4994 | 41.96 | 5 | 37 | 113 |
| MS Dhoni (CSK) | 212 | 184 | 4376 | 39.78 | 0 | 21 | 84* |
| Gautam Gambhir (KKR) | 108 | 108 | 3035 | 31.61 | 0 | 27 | 93 |
| Rohit Sharma (MI) | 158 | 157 | 3986 | 28.07 | 0 | 25 | 98* |
| David Warner (SRH) | 67 | 67 | 2792 | 48.13 | 1 | 26 | 126 |
MS Dhoni led CSK to ten IPL Finals
Notably, Dhoni took his side in the record nine IPL finals in the tournament history. In the inaugural season itself, he led the Chennai-based franchise into the finals where they lost to Shane Warne-inspired Rajasthan Royals side in the final over. Dhoni finally got his hands on the trophy when CSK defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2010 final. The team also lifted the cup in 2011, making Dhoni the first skipper and CSK the first team to win back-to-back IPL titles. CSK faced disappointment in the final of 2012 with KKR defeating them in Chennai. The Men in Yellow also suffered defeats in the 2013, 2015, and 2019 finals all against MI.
CSK made a strong comeback from their ban in 2018 and they secured their third title. Their fourth title came in 2021 where they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in the finals. CSK are the defending champions and lifted the trophy for the fifth time in 2023 defeating the champions of the 2022 season, Gujarat Titans in the finals. Barring the 2020 season, MS Dhoni-led CSK to all the playoffs in the IPL. The only player with over 150 matches as captain, the skipper with the most wins in the IPL, most matches as a captain in IPL Dhoni will be regarded as the leader with all the achievements for CSK. Notably, Gaikawad will be the second full-time skipper for CSK after Dhoni and fourth overall.
MS Dhoni's other records as CSK captain:
- Joint-most IPL trophies: 5
- Most matches as IPL captain: 226
- Most wins as IPL captain: 133
- Most finals as IPL captain: 10
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