Mahendra Singh Dhoni won his fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as captain as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of IPL 2023 to win a record-fifth IPL title. Now, all the attention has turned to IPL 2024 with the former Indian captain all set to play in the upcoming edition.
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Dhoni was bought for a whopping $1.5 million (INR 6 Crore) by CSK in the inaugural edition of IPL after an intense bidding with their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI).
Barring the two seasons when Dhoni played for Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in 2016 and 2017 - when CSK were suspended - 'Thala' has been the face of the Men in Yellow in IPL.
MSD has been among the highest-paid players in the cash-rich league over the years. With Dhoni confirmed to play IPL 2024, The Sporting News takes a detailed look at the CSK skipper's salary progression over the years.
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MS Dhoni's IPL salary progression since 2008
Having been retained by CSK for every single season, Dhoni was unsure whether he would play in 2024, although he did say he didn't want to say a premature goodbye when asked about his future in the presentation ceremony after the 2023 final.
If you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But with the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say 'Thank you very much,' but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another nine months and come back and play at least one more season of the IPL. A lot depends on the body; I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side; it’s not easy for me, but that’s a gift. The way they’ve shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them.
However, CSK's retention list confirmed that Dhoni will be donning the famous yellow jersey for at least another season.
As mentioned earlier, CSK signed Dhoni for $1.5 million (INR 6 Crore). He was the highest-paid player in the 2008 IPL auction, with his price surpassing the salary paid for the icon players.
In IPL 2024, Dhoni will be paid INR 12 Crore.
| Year | Team | Salary (INR) |
| 2008 | CSK | 6 Crore |
| 2009 | CSK | 6 Crore |
| 2010 | CSK | 6 Crore |
| 2011 | CSK | 8.28 Crore |
| 2012 | CSK | 8.28 Crore |
| 2013 | CSK | 8.28 Crore |
| 2014 | CSK | 12.5 Crore |
| 2015 | CSK | 12.5 Crore |
| 2016 | RPS* | 12.5 Crore |
| 2017 | RPS* | 12.5 Crore |
| 2018 | CSK | 15 Crore |
| 2019 | CSK | 15 Crore |
| 2020 | CSK | 15 Crore |
| 2021 | CSK | 15 Crore |
| 2022 | CSK | 12 Crore |
| 2023 | CSK | 12 Crore |
| 2024 | CSK | 12 Crore |
By the end of IPL 2024, Dhoni's 17th season, he will have earned a total IPL salary of INR 188.84 Crores, averaging a salary of INR 11.11 Crore per season.
All fans, not just CSK fans, will hope that Dhoni bids adieu in fashion if IPL 2024 is indeed going to be his last-ever season. Let's not forget that he is already 42 and will be just weeks away from turning 43 when the next edition of IPL finishes.
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