MS Dhoni in IPL: The journey from 2008-2017 in pictures

2016 – New franchise, poor beginnings

Dhoni was appointed as the captain of the Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016.

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.

Dhoni could not rub in the same CSK spirit in the RPS counterparts.

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 has so far managed 240 runs at an average of 24.

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.

Can Dhoni win yet another title, this time as just a player?

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?