MS Dhoni has been the main feature for Chennai Super Kings in their IPL journey so far. After CSK bought him for USD 1.5 million in the very first auction in 2008, MS Dhoni repaid every cent of that money, as CSK reached the finals of the inaugural IPL edition.
Dhoni then won two titles for Chennai Super Kings, apart from taking the team to the play-offs in every edition from 2008-2015. Now that the Chennai Super Kings are back into the IPL family after a 2 year suspension, MS Dhoni was retained by the franchise and was announced as captain.
In celebrations of MS Dhoni returning home in CSK, we take a look at 5 unforgettable MS Dhoni moments for Chennai Super Kings.
Here are the top 5 MS Dhoni moments for CSK:
MS Dhoni takes CSK into the finals against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2012
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians met each other in the eliminator of IPL 2012 in Bengaluru. CSK batted first and lost M Vijay (1) and Suresh Raina (0) early for just 1 run on the board. Mike Hussey scored 49 off 39 balls with 8 fours and 1 six and S Badrinath hit 47 in 36 balls.
But it was MS Dhoni who rose to the occasion and took Mumbai bowlers to the cleaners. He slammed an unbeaten 51 in just 20 balls. His innings was lit up with 6 fours and 2 sixes. Along with Jadeja (33 in 14 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes), Dhoni took CSK from 106/4 in 15th over to 187/5 after 20 overs.
Dwayne Smith hit 38, but 2 wickets each by Bravo and Morkel kept MI to 149/9 in 20 overs and CSK reached their 4th IPL final. It was possible because of an exploding MS Dhoni, who destroyed the MI bowlers and took CSK to a big total.
Dhoni scores fastest fifty for CSK in CLT20 2013
MS Dhoni’s exploits have not been limited to just the IPL, but he also made a big splash in the short lived Champions League T20. In the CLT20 2013 edition, CSK met Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dhoni’s home town Ranchi.
CSK batted first and scored 202/4 in 20 overs. Suresh Raina top scored with 84 in 57 balls with 9 fours and 1 six for CSK. But it was MS Dhoni who stole the show with his incredible hitting in the death overs.
MS Dhoni hit 63* in just 19 balls with his 50 coming in just 16 balls, a record in CLT20 history. He slammed 8 sixes and 1 fours. Dhoni hit five sixes in one over and the poor lad who got hit out of the ground five times in an over was Thisara Perera, who went for 34 runs in the said over.
MS Dhoni once again proved that whether chasing or batting first, no one can be a better finisher than him in T20 format.
MS Dhoni shows his aggressive side against KXIP in IPL 2010
Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab met each other in Dharamshala in IPL 2010 to play for a spot in the play-offs. KXIP batted first and scored 192/2 with Shaun Marsh making 88 and Irfan Pathan making 44 off 27 balls.
Chennai had a mountain of runs to chase and their openers Hayden and Vijay failed to give them a good start. But Raina (46 off 27 balls), Badrinath (53 off 36 balls) kept CSK in hunt. However, CSK were left to chase too many runs in the last few overs and it all came down to MS Dhoni to show his hitting prowess to take his team to the win.
Dhoni hit 54* off 29 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to take his team home and into the play-offs. Needing 16 runs from the last over, the Chennai captain hit a unfortunate Irfan Pathan for 18 runs with the help of two sixes and a four to win the match for his team; ending the chase with a six.
Watch the MS Dhoni brutalising Irfan Pathan in the last over here:
Dhoni brutalizes Dale Steyn in CSK v SRH, IPL 2013
Shikhar Dhawan’s 63* off 45 balls with 10 fours and Ashish Reddy’s 36* off 16 balls took SRH to 159/6 against a rampaging CSK team in IPL 2013. The chase of 160 runs proved to be tricky for CSK, as they lost Vijay and Raina in the middle overs, despite Hussey (45) anchoring the innings.
It again came down to MS Dhoni to take initiative and win the match for Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni hit 67* in 37 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Dhoni was specially brutal on Dale Steyn, hitting him for three sixes and a four in the last few overs of the game.
CSK won the match by 5 wickets in the last over, bowled by Ashish Reddy, in which MS Dhoni hit a six and two fours to end the game.
Winning the IPL trophy and CLT20 twice for CSK
MS Dhoni is one of the most successful captain in IPL and CLT20 history. MS Dhoni has won the CLT20 trophy two times in 2010 and 2014. Dhoni is also the only captain who has won two back to back IPL trophies, winning in 2010 and 2011.
MS Dhoni has led Chennai Super Kings brilliantly and the team has the best win percentage among all teams in the IPL (60.68%). Under his leadership, CSK has made it to the play-offs of every edition of Indian Premier League from 2008-2015. They have also reached the finals of the tournament 6 times in 8 editions.
MS Dhoni will be back at the helm of Chennai Super Kings, when they step onto the field in the first match of the IPL 2018 against Mumbai Indians on April 5 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
