[Exclusive] Was aware MS Dhoni had potential to set things going in first IPL Auction: Richard Madley

Richard Madley, best known for being the first man to conduct Indian Premier League (IPL) Auctions, recently discussed several interesting stuff regarding his experience of being an auctioneer at the mega event. He managed the inaugural IPL auction on February 20, 2008, and continued till 2018 edition.

Madley was asked whether he had prior knowledge about the legendary MS Dhoni before he stepped into the auction. The star wicketkeeper-batter was the most expensive player at the event as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired his services for a whopping $1,500,000 (around INR 6 crore) after the bidding started at $400,000 (around INR 1.6 crore).

Madley, in an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, said that he was fully aware of Dhoni's stature in the cricketing spectrum as he had been a cricket fan and the surreal demand for the then-Indian captain didn't take him by surprise.

"I was hugely aware of Dhoni's significance in Indian cricket, in world cricket. I am a cricket fan, you know, I follow the game closely. So I was aware that he was potentially the player who was going to set things going in the first IPL auction. Now, of course, it's random (the auction set), you don't know whose name is going to come out of that velvet bag first up for that day.

And Dhoni, I think, came up about player number five or six. I guess he came out fourth or fifth name on that day. And there was 'ahh' when his name came up. And in those days, we were using tiny little cricket balls that were kept in a velvet bag. And it came up with a player number on it, set number, which was his. And there was a murmur around the room that you could tell there was excitement within the room itself," Madley recalled during the interaction.

MS Dhoni is set to play his 18th IPL season

MS Dhoni is all set to feature in the IPL for the 18th consecutive season next year. The 43-year-old was retained by CSK for INR 4 crore after he was deemed to be an uncapped player thanks to the revival of a rule that the IPL Governing Council had ditched in the past.

Also Read: Fact Check: Is RBI releasing 7-rupee coin to honour MS Dhoni?

Dhoni has played 264 IPL games and amassed 5,243 runs at an average of 39.13 and a strike rate of 137.54. Fans are waiting with bated breath to watch the talismanic cricketer coming back to the cricket field, maybe for one final time.