Ajay Mandal

Dhoni was never let go once he was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural auction for ₹9.5 crore. He was named captain and led the team to the final, where they lost to Rajasthan Royals. In 2009, they were knocked out in the semi-finals.

But in 2010 and 2011, he led CSK to the trophies. In 2012, CSK was again in the finals but lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in the summit clash. CSK was the most consistent team in IPL history until now. The ‘Captain Cool’ also plied his trade with Rising Supergiant, whom he joined after CSK was banned for two seasons. 

Meanwhile, Dhoni, the batter, continued to evolve. His role was to finish things off, which meant batting in the lower order, and he did that brilliantly. Besides, he was an excellent wicketkeeper and helped his team achieve breakthroughs against the run of play. In his late thirties, Dhoni, the leader, saw a resurgence as he led CSK to three titles in 2018, 2021, and 2023.