MS Dhoni’s journey with Chennai Super Kings began in 2008 when the franchise strategically targeted him for his leadership and pan-India appeal, making it one of the most successful and iconic associations in IPL history.
MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings are more like an unbreakable bond. Dhoni has been the face of CSK ever since he was signed by the franchise at the IPL auction in 2008. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter played a pivotal role in the growth of the Chennai Super Kings over the last several years.
As a captain, MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles, making them joint-most successful team in the history of the tournament. Ever since Dhoni joined CSK in 2008, the franchise has built its core around him, on and off the field, turning him into the heart and soul of the team. His composed nature of personality and leadership, and astute tactical acumen transformed CSK into one of the most successful and formidable teams in the IPL.
Let’s take a look at how Chennai Super Kings managed to get MS Dhoni on the board
Ahead of the first IPL Auction in 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed all 8 franchises to pick their icon player. Icon player means local player who would not be part of the auction pool and would be automatically assigned to the city’s franchise. For example, Mumbai Indians picked Sachin Tendulkar, Kolkata Knight Riders drafted Sourav Ganguly, then Kings XI Punjab signed Yuvraj Singh, Royal Challengers Bangalore chose Rahul Dravid and then Delhi Daredevils went for Virender Sehwag as their icon players.
However, Chennai Super Kings went into auction without signing their icon player as they did not have a standout superstar player associated with Tamil Nadu cricket. The Chennai-based IPL franchise decided to head into auction with a full auction of INR 20 crore, giving them an edge over other 7 franchises participating in the first ever edition of the Indian Premier League.
Chennai Super Kings had a clear strategy while heading into the first IPL auction was to sign a player who could be the face of the franchise, a leader and someone who has an appeal across pan India. Certainly, MS Dhoni was on the target list of each franchise at the auction table as he just led Team India to their maiden T20 World Cup triumph in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007.
Following Team India’s T20 World Cup title in 2007, then skipper MS Dhoni quickly rose to become one of the marketable and influential players in the country. Given his calm demeanour, exceptional leadership qualities and growing stardom, Chennai Super Kings identified him as a perfect player to build their team and lead the franchise.
When MS Dhoni reflected on the big screen with a base price of $400,000, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Mumbai Indians were involved in an intense bidding war to sign Dhoni. When the price reached $900,000, RCB backed out and only MI and CSK were interested. These two franchises were not willing to give up their pursuit. Eventually, Chennai Super Kings outbid Mumbai Indians to secure the services of MS Dhoni for a record-breaking price of $ 1.5 million, making him the most expensive player in the inaugural IPL auction.
Mumbai Indians were willing to acquire MS Dhoni for the then-record price, but they realized that they had to give 15% more than their icon player Sachin Tendulkar, which would end their purse. N Sreenivasan, owner of India Cements and Chennai Super Kings, directed the management to go all out for MS Dhoni and that bold proved to be a masterstroke.
MS Dhoni did not know which franchise would pick him at the IPL auction. However, then the T20 World Cup-winning captain was approached by a franchise to sign him as a marquee player reportedly for a deal of $1 million. Dhoni decided to take a risk by refusing the deal from the franchise and entered the auction.
It was a clever decision by MS Dhoni to reject an offer from the franchise and enter into the auction pool as it gave him the chance to test his market value after leading Team India to a historic T20 World Cup triumph in 2007, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. Dhoni knew that if he entered into the auction he could fetch more money than what was being offered to him as a pre-auction marquee player. He was proven right as Chennai Super Kings sign him for whopping $1.5 million, making him the most sought-after player at the first IPL auction.
The Chennai Super Kings’ decision to sign MS Dhoni was a defining moment not only for the franchise but also the franchise as a whole. Since Dhoni was already a T20 World Cup-winning captain, CSK managed to capitalize on the massive fan following and the trust he had earned across the country, instantly elevating the franchise’s brand value and appeal. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter ingrained the winning mentality among the players, while bringing stability and credibility to the dressing room.
During his stint as a captain, MS Dhoni played a pivotal role in unearthing talented players in the CSK squad and giving them consistent opportunities to showcase their talent to the world. His association with the Chennai Super Kings has helped the team turn into powerhouse of the Indian Premier League.