43-Year-Old MS Dhoni Is IPL's Most Valued Asset; Check How

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

MS Dhoni playing for CSK [Source: @DHONIism/x.com]MS Dhoni playing for CSK [Source: @DHONIism/x.com]

MS Dhoni has been one of the biggest stars of the Indian cricket for the past two decades. His stardom has driven the Chennai Super Kings to command one of the biggest fan base in the IPL. 

Ahead of the IPL 2025, CSK pulled off a heist when they made use of the 'Uncapped Player' retention rule in IPL and retained their legend for a mere sum of INR 4 Cr. Talking about IPL Price, during the auction of the first ever IPL in 2008, MS Dhoni was the most expensive player sold at INR 6 Cr. 

Since then his IPL salary has fluctuated the most among the bigger names of Indian cricket. However, if we see his IPL batting efficiency and compare with the price that he has over the years, we can analyse if he was a appreciating asset for the franchise or a depreciating one.

MS Dhoni IPL Price Over The Years

MS Dhoni IPL Price Over The Years [Source: Datawrapper]MS Dhoni IPL Price Over The Years [Source: Datawrapper]

This table shows us MS Dhoni's IPL Price over the years. In order to get a better idea let us have a look at the table below. 

Years
IPL Prices
2008-2010INR 6 Cr
2011-2013INR 8.28 Cr
2014-2017
INR 12.50 Cr
2018-2021INR 15 Cr
2022-2024INR 12 Cr
2025INR 4 Cr

If we see MS Dhoni's price trend in the IPL he saw a rise in his value till IPL 2021. Since then his salary has decreased and if we compare his IPL 2024 price with the upcoming season, then we see a dip of INR 8 Cr. 

Now, let us compare this with MS Dhoni's batting efficiency over the years. 

MS Dhoni's Batting Efficiency In IPL Over The Years

When it comes to quantifying the performance of a finisher, the volume of runs is not enough. We need to take into account the strike rate and consistency of the batter. Batting Efficiency is a metric that takes into account the number of runs scored, the strike rate and the consistency of the batter. 

Now, let us look at MS Dhoni's IPL batting efficiency over the years.

MS Dhoni Batting Efficiency In IPL Over The Years [Courtesy: Datawrapper]MS Dhoni Batting Efficiency In IPL Over The Years [Courtesy: Datawrapper]

If we see the efficiency of MS Dhoni, then he has done the best in the last year.  Other than this, MSD had two outstanding seasons in IPL 2013 and IPL 2018. 

Moving ahead, let us do a comparative analysis of MS Dhoni's price and IPL price over the years.

Conclusion

Batting Efficiency vs IPL Price of MS Dhoni over the years [Courtesy: Datawrapper]Batting Efficiency vs IPL Price of MS Dhoni over the years [Courtesy: Datawrapper]

In this comparative study, we can say that more the difference between the two lines the more cost efficient is that player. So, we if see Dhoni's full journey in the IPL, we can see that the two lines were farthest during IPL 2024 and the distance has increased in the last three years. Thus we can say that, MS Dhoni has been the biggest appreciating asset for CSK.