Top 5 buys from the 2008 IPL auction, and where they are now

#1 MS Dhoni ($1.5 million)

It was no surprise that Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked away with the biggest sum of $1.5 million. Fresh from leading India to victory in the 2007 World T20, Dhoni was back then the biggest brand in Indian cricket. He was purchased by Chennai Super Kings, a franchise which has tasted incredible success with Dhoni at the helm.

Dhoni was an instant success in the IPL, scoring 414 runs in 16 games at an average of 41.40 and a strike rate of 133.54 in the inaugural edition.

Under Dhoni, CSK won the IPL in 2010, 2011 and 2018. They have also appeared in a record eight finals, including in 2019, where they went down to Mumbai Indians.

Just like his time with Team India, Dhoni has won laurels for his shrewd leadership skills while captaining CSK. As a player too, Captain Cool has an incredible IPL record -- 4,432 runs in 190 matches at an average of 42.20, and a strike rate of 137.85.

Following India’s exit from the 2019 World Cup in the semi-final against New Zealand, Dhoni’s future has been a subject of constant debate. He has not played a single international fixture since, and recently asked fans and media to wait till January to know about his future plans.

Team India coach Ravi Shastri, however, has all but confirmed that Dhoni will play IPL 2020.