Chennai Super Kings (CSK) became the joint most successful franchise in IPL history after pulling level with Mumbai Indians (MI) by winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, thanks to a dramatic five-wicket win via DLS, over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat on May 29.
Dhoni stood tall for CSK throughout IPL 2023 as they claimed the title. From playing quickfire cameos in the death overs to his contribution behind the stumps he remained true to his talismanic stature.
His lightning-fast stumping to dismiss GT danger man Shubman Gill in the final was another testament to his agility behind the stumps even at 41. Overall in IPL 2023, he scored 104 runs, averaging 34.67.
What did Ravi Shastri say about MS Dhoni?
Former India coach, Ravi Shastri was mighty impressed with Dhoni's fitness and hailed the skipper for his 250th appearance in the IPL.
"250 IPL matches is a tribute to MS Dhoni's fitness. No one can match the kind of legacy Dhoni is going to leave behind in this tournament. He is called Thala by the whole of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. The love and adulation a guy from Jharkhand receives down south from fans of CSK is testimony to the greatness of this cricketer," Shastri told Star Sports.
While IPL 2023 was widely expected to be the swansong for DHoni, the cricketer revealed that he would like to return to CSK for IPL 2024, provided his fitness allows it.
Former India international Harbhajan Singh also lauded Dhoni's decision but warned that the expectations from him will be higher.
"This is the biggest news for fans. MS Dhoni will come back next year and he will return with even better fitness. Fans will get to witness their beloved Thala don that yellow jersey again. The expectations are going to be high from CSK next year and this team knows pretty well how to handle that pressure of expectations," Harbhajan added.
MORE: Relive the drama of the IPL 2023 Final with our live blog here
How many runs has MS Dhoni scored in IPL history?
Dhoni is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of CSK who recently completed 5000 runs in IPL recently.
He is only the seventh player in IPL's history to score 5000-plus runs.
| Year | Team | Matches | Runs | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | CSK | 16 | 414 | 0 | 2 |
| 2009 | CSK | 14 | 332 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | CSK | 13 | 287 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011 | CSK | 16 | 392 | 0 | 2 |
| 2012 | CSK | 19 | 358 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | CSK | 18 | 461 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | CSK | 16 | 371 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | CSK | 17 | 372 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | RPSG | 14 | 284 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | RPSG | 16 | 290 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | CSK | 16 | 455 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | CSK | 15 | 416 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020 | CSK | 14 | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | CSK | 16 | 114 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | CSK | 14 | 232 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | CSK | 16 | 104 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 250 | 5082 | 0 | 24 |
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