MS Dhoni creates history, becomes first player to make 200th IPL appearance

Abu Dhabi, October 19: Mahendra Singh Dhoni created history on Monday (October 19) as the Chennai Super Kings skipper became the first player to play 200 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

MS Dhoni, who has represented CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL so far, achieved the feat against Rajasthan Royals at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

At the toss when he was asked about his 200th IPL appearance, MS Dhoni said: "You spoke about it and that's how I got to know. It feels good but at the same time it's just a number. I feel fortunate to play for such a long time without many injuries."

Dhoni started his IPL journey with CSK in 2008 and has gone on to represent them in 170 of 200 games, while the remaining 30 were for the now-defunct RPS, a franchise he represented in 2016 and 2017 when CSK were banned for two seasons.

Dhoni has CSK to three title wins in 2010, 2011 and 2018 and is regarded as one of the most successful captains in the IPL.

The CSK skipper also completed 4500 IPL runs earlier in the season and his team currently sit seventh in the IPL 2020 standings.

In 199 games, the former India captain has scored 4,568 runs, which includes 23 fifties, with the highest score of 84 not out. His strike-rate reads 137.67. He is also third in the list for most sixes in the IPL with 215 maximums.

He is also closing in on more milestones which can be achieved in the match against RR as he needs one dismissal to complete 150 IPL dismissals and 6 runs to complete 4000 IPL runs for CSK.

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Earlier this month, Dhoni overtook his CSK teammate Suresh Raina (193 games) to become the most capped player in the IPL. Raina would have been the first to 200 had he played this year, but the all-rounder pulled out of the tournament in UAE due to pesonal reasons. However, he took to social media to congratulate his skipper.

"The first-ever player to play his 200th match in IPL, Best of luck for today @msdhoni Bhai .. Wishing you loads of success. You always make us proud," Raina tweeted.

The former Indian captain his followed in the most caps list by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who is second in the list with 197 games, Raina, Kolkata Knight Riders' Dinesh Karthik (191) and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli (186).