MS Dhoni's IPL Wealth: Salary Changes from 2008 to 2024

MS Dhoni is one of the very few who have featured in all the editions of the Indian Premier League so far. Ahead of the inaugural edition in 2008, the then-India captain wasn’t considered a marquee signing but Chennai Super Kings broke the bank and signed him for $1.5 million. Mumbai Indians were another franchise which was heavily interested in him, but they could not spend much as they had already spent a huge chunk on Sachin Tendulkar.

Dhoni was made captain of the Chennai Super Kings, and the franchise was extremely successful in its first three seasons, winning in 2010 and reaching the final in 2008. Ahead of the 2011 auction, CSK announced Dhoni as their first retention, which was no surprise. He was retained for the next three years for $1.8 million.

The keeper-batter once again was extremely successful and also became the poster boy of Indian cricket after Tendulkar retired. Till then, he became an integral part of the CSK family and they named Dhoni as their first retention again ahead of the 2014 mega-auction. Dhoni earned INR 12.5 each season till 2017.

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Ahead of the 2018 mega-auction, there were doubts if Dhoni would be CSK’s first retention as he wasn’t getting any younger. However, the franchise showed trust in the player, giving him the first retention again. For the next three years, that is till 2011, Dhoni made INR 15 crore per season.

After that, Chennai retained Dhoni but the player himself refused to accept the first retention to ensure the team's benefit. He believed Ravindra Jadeja deserved it and also stepped down as captain in 2022. Jadeja, the first retained player of CSK earned INR 15 crore that season, while Dhoni was the second player to be retained for INR 12 crore. That was his salary till 2024 and it is set to change in IPL 2025.

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CSK might retain Dhoni as an uncapped player in 2025, which means that the two-time World Cup-winning captain will be earning INR 4 this season. However, neither the franchise nor the player confirmed the same and more is expected to be known when CSK announce their retaintions on October 31.