If there ever was a man fit enough to be the face of brand IPL, it has to be MS Dhoni. The collosus of the Indian team, MS Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings admirably for two back-to-back IPL titles, before being jolted out of it and forced to be part of a new team in IPL 2016. Things turned ugly when he was yanked out of the captaincy role days before the start of IPL 2017, but Dhoni continues to soldier along, still the quickest behind the stumps, and a force to reckon with in front of them.Here’s revisiting MS Dhoni’s IPL journey from 2008 to 2017, in pictures:
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2008- So near, yet so far
He had just three and a half years of experience at the international level, but MS Dhoni had become one of the most sought after players in the Indian Team, especially after the World T20 triumph in 2007. The Chennai Super Kings wasted little time to throw a lot of money on the then 26-year-old, making him the most expensive buy of IPL 2008 at $1.5 million. He repaid the faith shown by the franchise by leading his side to the first finals, before being edged out by the Rajasthan Royals in a tight finish.
In 16 matches, Dhoni scored 414 runs at an average of 41.40 and a strike rate of more than 133.
2009 – The Dhoni-Fleming era begins
Under Dhoni’s captaincy and Stephem Fleming’s coaching, the CSK side started to identified key members of the team who would go on to become the core of the side in the years to come. Players like Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Subramanium Badrinath, despite being youngsters, got a more central role to play in the team, and stepped up to the occasion time and again.
With Michael Hussey ruiling himself out, the Chennai side procured Andrew Flintoff, but the expensive bid failed badly, and the Englishman returned home after just two games. The team finished second in the points table and met the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi-finals, but a lacklustre batting performance failed them, and they crashed out.
Dhoni had another decent year with the bat, piling 332 runs at an average of 41.50 at a strike-rate of 127.
2010 – The first of many titles
The IPL returned to India: by this time, Dhoni had managed to sew up a core of players together, perfectly complemented by a string of newcomers in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina. Dhoni picked up an injury in the initial leg of the tournament, and was forced to sit out for a week, handing the reins to Suresh Raina. Players like Doug Bollinger, Albie Morkel and Matthew Hayden played crucial roles to take the team to the third spot in the points table.
In the semi-finals, CSK managed to squeeze out a win against the Deccan Chargers despite managing only 143 on the board. In the finals, against the Mumbai Indians, the team finished with a 22-run win.
Dhoni had another decent outing with the bat, scoring 287 runs at an average of over 30 and strike-rate of 137.
2011 – Icing on the World Cup cake
MS Dhoni firmly entreched his name in the annals of Indian history by leading India to its first World Cup win in 28 years. As if that was not enough, he returned within a months time to clinch back to back IPL titles for CSK. With the 2011 win, CSK completed a hat-trick of titles (including the Champions League), and became the first team to win all their games at home in one single season.
The fresh auctions mandated that only four players could be retained by one franchise, which meant that MS Dhoni’s core set of players had to be broken. The team retained Dhoni, Raina, Vijay and Albie Morkel, and got back the likes of Ashwin and Michael Hussey.
It was one of MS Dhoni’s best years with the bat, striking the ball at a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 159.
2012 – The near miss
Chennai purchased just one player in the 2012 auctions, Ravindra Jadeja, who was bought for a whopping $2 million, and had the services of the likes of Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Scott Styris and Tim Southee in the foreign quota, apart from the usual suspects.
It was yet another near miss for the Dhoni-led side, who got defeated in the finals to hand Kolkata Knight Riders their first IPL title. Before that, the team had barely scraped through to the playoffs, beating the RCB side, also placed fourth, on account of a better run-rate.
Dhoni had yet another 300-plus run season, however he managed just one fifty to his name.
2013 – Stumble in the finals, yet again
With the IPL 2012 done and dusted, the governing body gave each of the IPL teams an option of truncating their respective squads. CSK retained 16 of its players, and gave more importance to bulking up their domestic contingent.
MS Dhoni led from the front, notching up 461 runs, the most by him in a single IPL season, scoring runs at an average of 42 and an astronomical strike-rate of 163. He piled up as many as four half-centuries, with a high score of 67 not out.
Dhoni also became the first captain to notch up 2000 runs in the IPL.
2014 – Another playoff miss
For the seventh successive season, MS Dhoni donned the captain’s hat and led the CSK franchise out. Yet again, the team retained five players (Dhoni, Ashwin, Jadeja, Raina and Dwayne Bravo: key members of the team that had become vital to the side’s fortunes over the last couple of seasons. The side reached the playoffs once again, and qualified for the 2014 Champions League. Dhoni made close to 400 runs at an average of 74.20 and strike-rate of 148.
2015 – So long, Chennai
Dhoni led the Chennai team for the eighth and final time in IPL 2015, and was forced to part ways with one of the most successful T20 franchises after the betting scandal forced the suspension of the team, along with the Rajasthan Royals. The team reached the finals yet again, where they lost out to the Mumbai Indians in the repeat of the IPL 2015 final game.
For MS Dhoni, the 2015 season was an average year, one where he scored close to 400 runs at an average of 31.
2016 – New franchise, poor beginnings
Forced to move to a new franchise after Chennai’s suspension, MS Dhoni had a task on his hands to lead a brand new team against a list of settled units in IPL 2016. The way they defeated the defending champions Mumbai Indians made everyone believe that the side had a bright future ahead, but a spate of injuries hurtled them to four consecutive losses.
The inclusion of Usman Khawaja and George Bailey did little to reverse their fortunes, and the side had to face the Kings XI Punjab in what turned out to be a battle to avoid the last spot in the points table. With 23 needed off the last six balls, Dhoni held his nerve and smacked Axar Patel for back to back sixes in the last two balls to seal a win.
2017 – A third title in the offing?
Dhoni got an ugly jolt when he was axed as the captain of the Pune franchise months before the start of the tournament, with the franchise backing Steven Smith for the job. For the first time in ten years, Dhoni was playing in the IPL as a non-captain, and the sudden axe did not go down too well with his supporters.
The side, bolstered by the presence of Ben Stokes, made it to the playoffs. Dhoni has had a lacklustre year, but can he win yet another title, this time as a player, and complete a full circle?
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