Seven Legendary Feats That Set Mahendra Singh Dhoni Apart

There is speculation that Mahendra Singh Dhoni may announce his retirement from IPL this year. Although the cricket legend has not announced it officially, Mahi lovers would never want this speculation to be true. 

Even no cricket fan would like to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the only format he plays. The bitter truth is every cricketer needs to retire from their position to give newcomers chances. Dhoni is the kind of person who understands his responsibilities better. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to hand over Chennai’s captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad clearly indicates that he wants to give the youth a chance. Last Sunday, the incident of CSK management giving a guard of honor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the CSK vs. RR match gave further fuel to the news of Dhoni’s retirement.

Suresh Raina, one of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s best friends, does not believe in such speculations. During the commentary of the exact match, Raina answered a fellow commentator’s question and stated that Dhoni would keep playing. 

No official comment by the CSK or Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself has come yet. Let’s assume some positives about the legend and explore some records that make Dhoni a legend. 

Most runs as a wicketkeeper. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the gloves to score the highest runs in IPL history. According to HowStat, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has scored 5218 runs in 228 innings. He has scored 4644 runs for Chennai Super Kings in just 201 innings. On the other hand, Mahi has a total of 574 runs while playing for Rising Pune Supergiant. 

MSD has scored 136 runs in IPL 2024, and its campaign is still ongoing. The number may increase even more to showcase Mahi’s legacy. Dinesh Karthik holds the record of second highest run scorer as a wicket keeper batsman. 

Most dismissals behind the stumps

Former CSK captain and second most successful captain of IPL holds the record for most dismissals behind the stumps. According to a report by Jagran Josh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has dismissed 180 players behind the stumps. 

Mahi did the magic in just 250 innings of his IPL career. He dismissed a maximum of four players in an IPL inning. DK is following him with 224 dismissals in 242 innings. 

Most matches in IPL 

Thala (leader) is not only for a reason; he has several reasons to be a leader (Thala). Dhoni has played the most matches in the IPL’s history. ESPN reports that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played 263 IPL matches. 

He has played most of his matches for CSK, although Dhoni was also a part of Pune SuperGiants. Rohit Sharma is following him with 256 matches. As a wicket keeper batsman, DK secured the second position with 255 matches. 

Maximum victories as a Captain in IPL history 

He has won the most matches in the history of IPL. No skipper has secured a century in terms of IPL victories except Mahi the Legend. He has won a total of 133 matches as a captain. 

No other captain is even touching his record of winnings. Some successful captains like Gautam Gambhir have already retired. 

Most IPL finals 

Dhoni understands how to enter the tournament finals. India’s performance under his captaincy is a testament to his brilliance. In the, he has played most IPL finals as a captain. He took CSK to the IPL finals 9 times. In addition, Dhoni also brought Rising Pune Supergiant once. 

Most number of stumpings in IPL

The gait of a tiger, the vision of an eagle, and the sword of Bajirao can be doubted, but Dhoni’s stumpings – never. If Dhoni is behind the stump, the batsman’s one mistake sends him back to the dressing room. 

Dhoni has completed 42 successful stumpings in his IPL career. No one is even near. 

Most IPL matches as a captain

Captain Cool has played the most IPL matches, 226 in total. He has also won more than 50% of the matches he has played as a captain. Dhoni’s personal total in a match is less than 100 runs. 

Other Records of Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahi has won five IPL trophies and is second in the list of most title holders. 

MSD is in the fifth position in terms of hitting sixes in IPL. He has hit 251 sixes in his IPL career. 

Dhoni also has a poor record in his records book. Mahi is the only man who has played more than 100 IPL matches but has scored no centuries. No caliber with this caliber in the list has such a poor record. 

Also read: RCB is Still Alive: Complete Mathematics of IPL Points Table