IPL 2023: All the skippers who faced Captain Cool MS Dhoni in finals
Story highlights
IPL 2023: Here's a look at captain MS Dhoni's opposing skippers in all finals ahead of the CSK vs GT tie in Ahmedabad
MS Dhoni is one of the legends of the game. Despite retiring from international cricket in August 2020, he remains one of the superstars of modern-day cricket and a huge name in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni's craze has been immense in the IPL over the years. In this season, his presence has led to fans flocking in large numbers to witness him play in what is likely his last IPL edition.
In IPL 2023, Dhoni has led from the front and taken the four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to another final in the cash-rich league (Chennai's tenth overall). He has marshalled his troops brilliantly and also come up with small yet impactful knocks down the order. So far, he has 104 runs in 56 balls at a strike rate of 185.71.
Speaking of Dhoni, IPL 2023 final will be his 11th appearance in an IPL summit clash; the most by any player. He has won the IPL on four occasions, all as a captain (for CSK). Ahead of CSK's face-off versus Gujarat Titans (GT), in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening (May 28), here's a look at all the opposition skippers Captain Cool Dhoni faced in nine IPL finals:
trending now
Season | Opposing captains | Result |
IPL 2008 | Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals) | RR won |
IPL 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians) | CSK won |
IPL 2011 | Daniel Vettori (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | CSK won |
IPL 2012 | Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders) | KKR won |
IPL 2013 | Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) | MI won |
IPL 2015 | Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) | MI won |
IPL 2018 | Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) | CSK won |
IPL 2019 | Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) | MI won |
IPL 2021 | Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders) | CSK won |
Also Read: IPL 2023: MS Dhoni's Records in Finals
After guiding CSK to this season's final, with a 15-run win over GT in Qualifier 1, Dhoni also opened up on his IPL future. As speculations are rife that IPL 2023 will be his last ever, he reacted to all the rumours in the post-match presentation and said, "I have 8-9 months to decide. Why take that headache now? I'll always be there for CSK, whether it is playing or something outside."
Talking about Dhoni's spectacular record in IPL finals, he has scored 180 runs at a strike rate of 135.33 with one half-century (best of 63 not out). Overall, he has played nine finals for CSK and one for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).
Will Hardik Pandya outwit Dhoni in IPL 2023 finale? Or, will MSD outshine another opposition captain to win his fifth IPL trophy? Only time will tell...