Five IPL-related MS Dhoni facts you didn’t know
MS Dhoni is one of the best captains the cricket has ever witnessed. When it comes to the IPL, he is the champion in that aspect having led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to the playoffs in all the seasons they’ve played. He has aced a lot of records in the cash-rich league and is among the top 10 in the list of the highest run-getters as well. However, the fans generally miss some of the facts of the players. So here we bring you the 5 lesser-known facts about MS Dhoni in the IPL:
5. Batting at number three in seven innings
MS Dhoni is known to be the greatest finisher of all-time in cricket and obviously, in IPL as well. But very few are aware of the fact that he has batted at the number on 7 occasions in the T20 league. He has mustered 188 runs in those seven innings at an average of 37.6 and the strike-rate of 125.33 with a half-century to his name. However, Dhoni’s overall career numbers are better in comparison to these numbers.
4. Didn’t keep during IPL 2008 and 2009 knockout matches
MS Dhoni – the wicket-keeper – is very much decorated in his career. However, the fans may have missed the fact that he gave up his gloves during the 2008 season semi-final and final and also in the 2009 season semi-final after suffering a finger injury. Parthiv Patel took over the keeping duties on those occasions. In those two seasons, MS Dhoni didn’t keep in as many as 8 matches including the knockouts.
3. No stumpings in the first IPL season
MS Dhoni and his love for stumpings is known to everyone. He has affected 195 stumpings in international cricket and is 50 ahead of the next best. However, it took a while for the veteran wicket-keeper to affect his first stumping in IPL. He didn’t dismiss any batsman via stumping in the IPL’s inaugural season. His first stumping came only in the 18th IPL match of his career when he sent back Robin Uthappa.
2. Never involved in a tied match
The CSK skipper who played a couple of seasons for the Rising Pune Supergiant as well has played 190-plus matches in the IPL so far. But MS Dhoni has never been involved in a tied match. Interestingly, on his captaincy debut in the shortest format against Pakistan at the international level, the match was tied and India had won the game via bowl-out.
1. Most fifties at 200+ strike-rate among Indian in IPL
MS Dhoni’s batting prowess might be going down these days. But he holds a record which not many have managed to do thus far. The veteran batsman has scored 23 fifties in the IPL so far and has crossed the 50-run mark with a strike-rate of 200+ on 8 occasions. No batsman has done it so many times and the closest is Yusuf Pathan who has done it six times while Rishabh Pant and Virender Sehwag have done it five times.
