Published: Feb 08, 2022, 07:21 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 08, 2022, 07:21 AM (IST)
Bengaluru: Less than a week ahead of the much-awaited IPL auction, celebrated auctioneer Richard Madley in a candid conversation with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the 2008 edition and how MS Dhoni started a bidding war after Shane Warne was lapped up by Rajasthan Royals. The stocks of Dhoni had skyrocketed after he had led India to a win in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
“For the next 10 years, I watched Rajasthan Royals be the coolest bidders in the room. They never got excited, Manoj Badale was just cool and a pattern started to emerge. Then out of the bag came the man himself, the ultimate all-rounder Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and there we saw the first bidding war of many in the IPL auctions,” auctioneer Richard Madley.
In the 2008 auction, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings placed a bid for Dhoni. Chennai did not have an icon player while Mumbai did in Sachin Tendulkar.
Dhoni was lapped up by CSK at USD 1.5 million after a fierce bidding war.
In the following years, Chennai went on to become one of the most successful franchises in the history of the league led by Dhoni. In Chennai, Dhoni is worshipped like a demi god.
Despite having retired from international cricket, Dhoni’s stocks have not dipped. In 2021, Dhoni again led CSK to IPL triumph. His form with the bat has not been up to the mark, but his leadership is still sharp and that is what makes him special.
At the retention, CSK kept Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Moeen Ali.
