Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Isn’t the name just enough. Thala, Captain Cool, the greatest finisher – Dhoni has been known by various names over the years by multiple sections of fans. Wicket-keeper par excellence, a batsman worth his weight in gold but more importantly, the only Indian captain to win all three ICC trophies, Dhoni has left an indelible mark on Indian cricket’s rich history. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India topped the ICC Test rankings for 18 months, won the ODI World Cup in 2011, the T20 World Cup in 2007, and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Hailing from Ranchi in Jharkhand, Dhoni changed the notion that one needs to be from a metro city to play for India. Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999/00 season but did not get immediate attention and was even forced to move to Railways to make ends meet. However, as luck would have it, the BCCI started a Training Research Development Wing (TRDW) to support financially weaker states, and Dhoni was spotted.
The swashbuckling wicket-keeper batsman immediately made a name for himself on an A tour in Kenya. Dhoni’s long locks, unorthodox game style, and swagger all shot him to national reckoning, and he soon got a national call-up in an ODI against Bangladesh. He had quite an inauspicious start to his international career scoring a duck, but the selectors kept faith in him. In just his fifth ODI, Dhoni bludgeoned 148* against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam and soon followed it up with a massive 183* versus Sri Lanka in Jaipur in 2005. Dhoni firmly announced he was here to stay.
Dhoni always carried an ice-cold personality, and it was his maturity that led the likes of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to recommend his name for the captaincy spot. His first assignment was the T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. T20 cricket, at the time, was very much in its nascent stage, and not many in India thought much about it. However, Dhoni leading a young bunch amazingly saw India to a title win in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup. This win paved the way to the beast that is the IPL and put Dhoni’s name in the upper echelons of Indian captains.
Dhoni was soon handed the ODI and Test captaincy as well, and in the next few years, India racked up some fantastic wins both at home and away. India’s winning streak during Dhoni’s tenure included a home series versus Australia in 2008, a victory in New Zealand in 2009, and a triumph against Sri Lanka. Soon after, India was ranked the No.1 Test side in the world and presented the Test mace.
However, Dhoni reached the pinnacle of his captaincy in 2011 when he led India to an ODI World Cup win on April 2, 2011, after 28 years. Dhoni was at the forefront of the win scoring 91* in the final and winning the Man of the Match award. There came a transition period with many superstars retiring, but India still won the 2013 Champions Trophy, qualified for the 2014 T20 World Cup, and semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2016.
Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014 before relinquishing the T20 and ODI captaincy in 2017. He called time from all forms of international cricket on 15 August, 2020.
In the IPL, Dhoni has played for two franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant. It was at CSK where Dhoni received cult status. He has led the team to three IPL titles – 2010, 2011 and 2013 – and under him, Chennai has qualified for the playoffs in each season, barring 2020. While he has retired from international cricket, Dhoni will be back in 2021, leading Chennai in the IPL.
MS Dhoni Biography
| Full Name | Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
| Born | 07 July 1983 |
| Birth Place | Ranchi, Jharkhand |
| Height | 5’10” |
| Role | Wicketkeeper and Right handed batsman |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-Arm medium |
| First Class Debut | 1999/00 |
| ODI Debut | Vs Bangladesh, December 2004 |
| T20I Debut | Vs South Africa, December 2006 |
| IPL Debut | Vs Punjab, April 2008 |
| Test Debut | Vs Sri Lanka, December 2005 |
Batting Stats & Records
| Format | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
| IPL | 204 | 4632 | 84 | 40.99 | 136.76 | 23 | 0 | 313 | 216 |
| Test | 90 | 4876 | 224 | 38.09 | 59.12 | 33 | 6 | 544 | 78 |
| ODIs | 350 | 10773 | 183 | 50.58 | 87.56 | 73 | 10 | 826 | 229 |
| T20Is | 98 | 1617 | 56 | 37.6 | 126.13 | 2 | 0 | 116 | 52 |
Recent Matches:
| Team | Opposition | Date | Bat & Bowl |
| Chennai Super Kings | Punjab | 1 Nov 2020 | DNB |
| Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | 29 Oct 2020 | 1 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 25 Oct 2020 | 19* |
| Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai Indians | 23 Oct 2020 | 16 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Rajasthan Royals | 19 Oct 2020 | 28 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Capitals | 17 Oct 2020 | 3 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 Oct 2020 | 21 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | 10 Oct 2020 | 10 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Punjab | 7 Oct 2020 | 11 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Capitals | 4 Oct 2020 | DNB |
Interesting Facts About MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni has been one of the finest captains India has ever had. Apart from Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, seldom has there been an Indian cricketer with such a global following as Dhoni managed. As captain, Dhoni has achieved cricket accomplishments no other Indian leader has managed, and his legacy is unparalleled. Here are some facts about MS Dhoni.
- Under Dhoni, India reached the pinnacle of Test rankings for the first time in 2009.
- Dhoni is the first Indian wicketkeeper to breach the 4000-run barrier in Test cricket.
- No other Indian wicketkeeper has as many dismissals in Test cricket as Dhoni – 294
- Dhoni is the fourth Indian to reach 10000 ODI runs after Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid. He is the first player to cross 10000 ODI runs with an average in excess of 50.
- Dhoni has led in 188 IPL matches, comfortably more than any other player in the history of the league.
How Dhoni’s stats will help you in Fantasy Cricket?
Dhoni is inarguably one of the most prominent features in any team. He will always come with a high credit score. In his prime, Dhoni would have been indispensable in any fantasy side, but the talisman seems to have lost some of his touch with age catching up. Dhoni’s stats here will help you in getting a better view of whether or not you should pick him in your fantasy team or not. On MPL, you can find all the relevant stats and numbers about Dhoni by simply going to the blog section. In addition, you can find all details about the Indian Premier League here. Download the MPL Fantasy app and start playing fantasy cricket league today.
