IPL 2021, CSK vs KKR Final: MS Dhoni Becomes First Captain to Lead in 300 T20 Matches

Dhoni achieved this feat while leading Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL 2021 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium.

Dubai: Adding another feather to his illustrious cap, Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni on Friday became the first captain to lead a side in 300 T20 matches when he made his way for the toss in the high-octane IPL 2021 final against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Apart from Dhoni, Daren Sammy (208) is the only other player to have captained teams in more than 200 T20s. In this year’s IPL, Dhoni-led CSK stormed into their ninth final of the cash-rich T20 league.

“We started T20 in around 2005-06 and most of the games have been franchise cricket and in the last five years, there have been a lot of T20 games in international cricket as well,” said the former India skipper at the toss about his historic feat. The 40-year-old has led CSK to three IPL titles in 2010, 2011 and 2018.

300 matches as a T20 captain… let that sink in! 🤯

Can #MSDhoni celebrate the milestone with yet another #VIVOIPL trophy?#IPL2021Final | Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar#CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/Nz6ZfhgzeR

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 15, 2021

Dhoni is retired from international cricket in 2020 but had stepped down from captaincy in the shortest format of the game for Team India back in January 2017. He captained India in a total of 72 T20Is, winning 41 of these and losing 28.

As the skipper of CSK, Dhoni has led the Yellow Army in 213 matches, winning 130 and losing 81. For a brief period of time, he also captained Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) before being replaced by Steve Smith at the helm.

In total, Dhoni had led RPS in 14 matches, winning 5 and losing 9.

If CSK win tonight against KKR, then they will become the first T20 franchise in the world to win a title in three different decades.