MS Dhoni scripted a new IPL record on Sunday, April 28 as he became the first player in the history of the T20 tournament to be part of 150 victories.
Dhoni achieved the feat after the Super Kings hammered SunRisers by 78 runs, bowling out the batting powerhouses for just 134 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
MS Dhoni has played 259 matches in the IPL, having been a part of the T20 league since the inaugural edition in 2008. The 42-year-old is the joint-most successful captain in the IPL with 5 titles. Dhoni handed over the reins of the Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the ongoing season.
MOST MATCHES WON BY A PLAYER IN IPL
1. MS Dhoni – 150
2. Ravindra Jadeja – 133
3. Rohit Sharma – 133
4. Dinesh Karthik – 125
5. Suresh Raina – 122
MS Dhoni already holds the record of the most successful captain in the IPL with 133 wins. Rohit Sharma is in second spot with 87 victories.
On Sunday, MS Dhoni reserved another cameo appearance for the Chepauk crowd as he walked into bat in the final over of the CSK innings after Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for 98. Dhoni hit a boundary on the first delivery he faced and took a single off the next to remain unbeaten on 5 off 2 as CSK posted a mammoth total of 212.
Dhoni also took a catch with the gloves on a day when the Super Kings dominated SunRisers in all three departments. Daryl Mitchell returned to form with a quickfire fifty and also took 5 outfield catches to equal an IPL record.
Dhoni has been sensational with the bat in his cameo appearances. The wicketkeeper-batter has hit 96 runs in just 37 balls at a strike rate of 257. Dhoni’s late-overs specials have proved to be defining knocks on more than one occasion. His onslaught against Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium was special as the former captain hammered 3 sixes in a row and finished with 4-ball 20, which proved to be the difference between CSK and MI in the El Clasico.
With their 78-run win over SRH, CSK stormed back to the top 4. They have 10 points from 9 matches and are sitting at the 3rd spot.