Former Indian captain MS Dhoni had clinched the highest bid in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. He was the ‘golden boy’ with the ICC T20 World Cup trophy in his kitty, winning the title with a fresh Indian team in South Africa in 2007. Ahead of IPL 2024 Auction, let us look at the price MS Dhoni received in the first IPL auction.
MS Dhoni’s price in IPL 2008
Featuring in IPL auction for the first and the last time, Dhoni was picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for $ 1.5 million.
Dhoni had a base price of US$400,000. All the team went for him in the auction, but after the price crossed US$900,000, only CSK and Mumbai Indians were fighting for him. In the end, CSK locked him for forever association.
The CSK skipper has won a record five titles for the team in IPL. When CSK was banned, Dhoni featured for Rising Pune Supergiants for two years.
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In the maiden season of IPL, MS Dhoni smashed 414 runs in 16 matches with an average of 41.40. He had hit two half-centuries with 38 fours and 15 sixes.
Highest bid players in 2008
| Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings | $ 1.5 million |
| Andrew Symonds | Deccan Chargers | $ 1.35 million |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Mumbai Indians | $ 975 thousand |
| Ishant Sharma | Kolkata Knight Riders | $ 950 thousand |
| Irfan Pathan | Kings XI Punjab | $ 925 thousand |
IPL’s first Auction
In IPL 2008, there were eight franchises and all where given Ten million dollars each.
Star players like Yuvraj Singh was bought by Kings XI Punjab. Virendra Sehwag went to Delhi, VVS Laxman to Hyderabad, Rahul Dravid to Bangalore, Sourav Ganguly to Kolkata, Sachin Tendulkar to Mumbai.
