[Watch] CSK share heartwarming video for MS Dhoni on his 42nd birthday
MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been a love story of epic proportions, with the fans of Chennai gravitating to the former Indian skipper like no other.
As MSD celebrates his 42nd birthday today (July 7), the franchise put together a touching video celebrating the man fondly known as Thala Dhoni. The video is a collage of the fans' unmatched support for the champion cricketer and includes several members from the franchise talking glowingly about their captain.
Finally, the players and coaching staff, including Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Dwayne Bravo, send their best wishes to Captain Cool MS Dhoni.
Here is the video encapsulating the unimpeachable relationship between CSK and MS Dhoni:
MS Dhoni recently led CSK to their fifth IPL in a thrilling finale against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad on May 29. The Ranchi-born cricketer has captained the franchise since the beginning of the IPL from 2008 till date.
During the 2023 season, MSD became the first player to captain a single IPL franchise (CSK) for 200 games against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Chennai. He has also led the franchise to a record - ten final appearances apart from the joint-most IPL titles.
MS Dhoni and CSK - A match made in cricketing heaven
MS Dhoni was picked up by CSK back in 2008 as the most expensive in the first-ever IPL action. From that moment, it has been a storybook run for the legendary cricketer and the franchise, with several chapters etched in the memories of Chennai fans all around the globe.
Under the astute leadership of MS Dhoni, the franchise triumphed in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023, becoming one of only two franchises, along with the Mumbai Indians (MI), to win back-to-back titles.
Despite not being the captain in one of the two seasons with the Rising Pune SuperGiant in 2017 and part of the 2022 season, Dhoni is the only captain to win more than 100 games in the IPL.
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As far as the numbers go, the 42-year-old has effected 180 dismissals, the most among wicket-keepers, including 42 stumpings. Dhoni is one of only seven cricketers to score over 5,000 IPL runs.
The champion finisher has scored 5,082 runs in 250 matches at an impeccable average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.92. Dhoni is also fourth all-time in the number of sixes, with 239 maximums, several of which traveled out of the stadium.
An interesting stat on the CSK skipper is that he averaged above 40 in half of his 16 seasons and more than 70 in three seasons (2014, 2018, 2019).