7 unique records that MS Dhoni has in the IPL

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the many demi-gods that Indian cricket has produced. Having made his debut in a team comprising of legends, Dhoni's initial steps were in their limelight. It was only in 2007 when he successfully led India to a World T20 title that the focus started shifting towards him decisively.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) picked him in the auction to captain them. It was in this franchise that he started transforming from a player into an icon. While his records for India is unmatched having won every possible ICC trophy, he has been equally successful in the IPL as well.

More than the trophies, his association with the franchise and fans has been growing continuously. Fans down south fondly call him as Thala - meaning leader. People throng in huge numbers just to see him practice. Such is the craze for the 38-year-old in this part of the country.

Dhoni has given back the love by performing for CSK more often than not. In that wake, he has created numerous records for them as a captain, batsmen, and wicket-keeper. Let's look at seven such records possessed by MS Dhoni in the IPL.

#1 Only player to score a 50 in five batting positions

Dhoni has scored 50 at five batting positions

Scoring a 50 in T20s isn't an easy task because of the short nature of the game. The opportunity to score a half-century are more pronounced for the top-order batsmen than for the lower-order ones. Yet, few big-hitters have scored half-centuries coming down the order and MS Dhoni is one of them.

Dhoni has scored a fifty in every position he has batted in the IPL. His batting position is determined by the progress of that particular innings. During the initial years, the Ranchi man used to come up at 3 if the openers get off to a brilliant start. One such knock came in 2009 against Deccan Chargers, when he scored a 37-ball 58.

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The CSK captain's half-century against Delhi in 2013 while batting at 4, ensured a spot in the first qualifier. The right-hander's most fifties have come at 5 and 6, with his knock against Punjab in 2010 and Bangalore in 2018 respectively being all-time fan favourites.

His fifty at number 7 came in the final of IPL 2013, making him the only player to do so in five positions - a firm testament to his versatility.

#2 Only player to win 100 IPL games as captain

Dhoni has the most IPL match wins as captain

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.

#3 Only captain to have successfully defended the IPL trophy

Most of his success as captain came for his second home - Chennai. Despite being a great himself, he treats every individual player equally and with respect. CSK have a great environment in the dressing room which helps them to overcome tough situations.

The captain is the pioneer in building this camaraderie among players. This was evident in the 2010 season when they were at the bottom of the table during mid-season. The players believed in the captain and he delivered the title for them.

CSK went to win the IPL trophy again in 2011. By winning IPL-4, Dhoni became the first captain to successfully defend the IPL and remains the only skipper to do so yet.

#4 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.

#5 Only captain to win the IPL at home

CSK lifted the trophy in 2011 at Chepauk

Except in 2017, the 38-year-old has been the captain of every IPL side he has played in (Steve Smith captained Rising Pune Super Giants that year). Many players have expressed their liking for playing under him. Even international captains like Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, and Brendon McCullum loved playing under his leadership.

Youngsters see it as a jackpot to have him as their captain. He makes them feel at home - a concept which has benefitted CSK massively. Chennai thrives playing at home and in the 2011 season, they won every game they played at their home ground. It includes the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Till now, Dhoni is the only captain to have won the IPL at their home ground. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have missed that opportunity in 2010 and 2016 respectively.

#6 Wicket-keeper with most dismissals in IPL history

Dhoni's stumping skills are second to none

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.

#7 Only player to have captained his coaches

Present coaching staff played under the leadership of MSD

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.