IPL’s Captain Cool: Dhoni’s 200th IPL Match as CSK Skipper
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked on the field in the 17th match of the IPL 2023, he became the first player to captain an IPL team in 200 matches. The number is huge, and so is the success that he has brought to the team.
Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Chepauk was Captain Cool’s 200th game as the captain of CSK.
And in this historic match, the fans were entertained by his power-packed inning of 32* off 17 balls. The two sixes in the last over hit by Dhoni off Sandeep Sharma’s deliveries were just phenomenal.
Even after some hitting by Dhoni and Jadeja, CSK couldn’t win the game as RR defeated them by 3 runs. The last three balls from Sandeep Sharma were pinpoint yorkers that made sure no big runs were scored by these two explosive batters.
Dhoni has led CSK in all 14 seasons of the franchise’s history since 2008. (CSK were suspended in 2016 and 2017)
Last year, he handed over the captaincy of CSK to Ravindra Jadeja. But Jadeja stepped down in the middle of the tournament as it affected his performance. Then Dhoni took over as captain of CSK again.
The 41-year-old wicketkeeper’s track record as the CSK captain is marvellous. He has led the team to 120 wins from 200 matches with a win percentage of 60.30.
Under his captaincy, the CSK has reached 11 playoffs in 13 seasons, played in 9 IPL finals, and won the IPL 4 times. Talk about consistency, and how!
CSK won the cash-rich league in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. And they ended up as runners-up in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019.
The two times they couldn’t reach the playoffs were in 2020 and 2022. And let me tell you this, Mumbai Indians defeated them thrice in the 2013, 2015, and 2019 IPL finals.
Apart from captaining CSK, Dhoni has also captained the Rising Pune Supergiant — 14 matches — in 2016. Overall, MS Dhoni has captained in 214 IPL matches, winning 125 games with a win percentage of 58.68.
Dhoni is followed by Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who has captained his team in 146 matches so far.
Will Rohit overtake Dhoni? Or will Dhoni remain the only player to captain in more than 200 games? Only time will tell. Let me know what you think.
