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MS Dhoni Reveals The Reason Behind Rejecting The ‘Marquee Player’ Offer in Inaugural IPL Auction
MS Dhoni Reveals The Reason Behind Rejecting The ‘Marquee Player’ Offer in Inaugural IPL Auction
During the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, legendary captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), MS Dhoni, revealed the steps he took in making his decisions. Despite being courted by other teams to sign him as a marquee player, Dhoni ultimately decided to take a calculated gamble and go to auction.In the lead-up to the 2008 IPL mega-auction, Dhoni received approaches from multiple teams offering him contracts to become a headline player.
But rather than take this assured position, the Ranchi native decided to go ahead and bid in the auction. His expectation that competitive bidding would result in a higher price served as the foundation for his reasoning. “When the five marquee players were first revealed, I was also asked to join a particular organization as a marquee player. I had to decide right now. I would gladly take a million dollars if I were the captain of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team. Let’s take a chance now. Come with me to the auction. The likelihood of your price increasing will rise if two of the three teams without star players show interest in me along with the other teams, Dhoni told Star Sports.
Dhoni’s Auction Strategy
When defending his position, Dhoni emphasized the psychology of auctions. He reasoned that because he wasn’t considered a premium player, teams would be more likely to make high bids for him, which would raise his price. “The franchise owner believes that if I am paying a particular amount for a player, I will have to pay 10 or 15 percent more to the marquee player if you become a marquee player. I therefore reasoned that it would be better for me to go into the auction at this time since I would have a greater chance of winning money if I were purchased by a team without a star player. And when the auction took place and CSK purchased me, I sold for approximately 1.5 million dollars (6 crore).So the thinking worked at that point of time,” added Dhoni.
During the auction process, Dhoni’s strategic approach and forethought paid off handsomely. He was paid the largest amount of any player involved in the bidding war, INR 6 crore (about 1.5 million dollars), which CSK paid for his services. This calculated action not only guaranteed Dhoni’s financial benefit but also created the conditions for his legendary IPL career with CSK.
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Dhoni has led the Super Kings to unprecedented success throughout his time as captain. CSK has become one of the most successful teams in IPL history under his wise leadership, winning the championship five times. Dhoni is still a key member of CSK’s lineup as the IPL 2024 countdown gets underway, ready to guide the Yellow Army with his signature style and strategic ability.
