MS Dhoni: The Super King Of Chennai

One criticism often made of CSK over the years is that they pick players who seem too old for the format. In fact, they have even been branded Daddy's Army for the same.

- Renin Wilben

The legendary MS Dhoni is known for catching fans off-guard. He did the same recently when he stepped down as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The franchise revealed that the 40-year-old decided to step down as captain of the team and picked senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his successor. Dhoni led the Chennai franchise a total of 213 times (IPL + Champions T20 League) and finished his captaincy career with incredible numbers. He won 213 matches and lost 81. Under Dhoni, CSK won four IPL titles and two CLT20 crowns.

THALA BUILDING BRAND CSK

When the IPL began, it was a completely unknown commodity. Neither the players nor the fans knew what to expect. Dhoni had led India to glory in the T20 World Cup just a year before and was at the peak of popularity. He used the IPL platform to develop a closer relationship with the fans. Going beyond just numbers, MSD and Chennai fans became inseparable. Thus, a boy from Ranchi became Chennai's Thala. While many other franchises kept changing players and captains regularly, CSK stuck to Dhoni through thick and thin, and he delivered some amazing results for them.