Introduction-

There are countless leagues played in today's generation where fans of different franchises have associated themselves with certain players who have remained loyal to the sides, which mostly occurs via getting retained year after year and thus, becoming a vital ingredient of the side's long-established recipe.

Consequently, there's no denying that the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably the biggest franchise competition with quite a few aspects being absolutely at the top of the charts. The sheer craze for certain franchises transcends demographics, and there are no better examples which can be listed than the cases of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB. Other than the fact that these franchises have attracted some of the most well-known and proficient 20-over cricketers over time, one of the primary reasons for the unhinged craze for these franchises have been the two pillars of the sides in MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, respectively.

While it can be argued that unlike Kohli who has stayed put with one single franchise since the inception of the cash-rich tournament, Dhoni played two of his seasons with the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in 2016 and 2017. However, CSK had to go through a period of remaining defunct during those two editions, which became one of the major headlines in the world of cricket news. Their cricketing genius displayed while representing the nation has smoothly flown into the valleys of the IPL.

One has seamlessly implemented a style of captaincy coupled with a temperament which not only makes players regardless of their backgrounds at ease, but also has somewhat guaranteed his franchise’s perennial success. The other has tapped into factors like channelized aggression and blissful Strokeplay to be in the reckoning for the coveted IPL Orange Cap on a yearly basis. 

Here are the three MS Dhoni records that Virat Kohli might never be able to break in IPL:

1) Overall IPL strike rate 

The talismanic Chennai Super Kings’ former captain MS Dhoni's has been known for being one of the best in the business when it comes to finishing a game. Hence, more often than not, the legendary stumper-batter holds one end of the crease and bats for longer period while running hard between the wickets. The goal is to farm the strike as much as possible and build a vital partnership, before going big when it mattered the most. As a result, this helped his side to take the game deeper and within reach on most occasions.

Known for taking the bowlers to the cleaners, it comes as no surprise that the Almora-born strikes the ball hard and deals in boundaries, thereby leading to having an impressive strike rate in the IPL. The big-hitter has an overall strike rate of 137.53 (5,243 runs off 3,812 deliveries) while Virat Kohli remains slightly behind with a strike rate of 131.97 (8,004 runs off 6,065 deliveries). Both the figures are up until the 2024 edition. The aforementioned statistics are across a 17-year timeframe.

Hence statistically speaking, it turns out that Kohli will have to score at a strike rate of a minimum of 153.37 for the next six seasons (considering he faces an approximate number of 356 deliveries per season (data forecasted as per his track record in the IPL as per Cricinfo). Considering he could just about manage to out shadow the number mentioned above in the IPL 2024 (striking at 154.70, his best season in terms of strike rate), it remains highly improbable that Dhoni's record will get surpassed by Kohli.

2. Number of matches as skipper

There have been only two instances of Dhoni sitting out due to injury and hence, not being able to lead CSK. Ahead of the 2024 edition, the management as well as Dhoni came to a mutual decision of handing over the reigns to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Out of the 30 matches played by MS Dhoni for RPS, he captained the side 14 times (the entire 2016 season). The second and final season of RPS was led by Steve Smith, as RPS had finished on the seventh spot during their debut season under the Indian stalwart (seventh out of eight with only five games in 14 games).    

In totality, Dhoni captained in a total of 226 games in the IPL, while Virat Kohli has skippered RCB for 143 matches since taking over from Daniel Vettori in 2013. However, after the 2021 season, Kohli relinquished his captaincy to regulate his workload. Besides, three out of the 143 matches also include those games in which Virat Kohli acted as an interim captain of the group due to Faf du Plessis incurring an injury to his ribs in the 2023 season. Therefore, the star batter is highly unlikely to catch up Dhoni’s leadership appearances.

1. Number of IPL finals reached as skipper

Over the years, MS Dhoni has been almost like an alchemist, who makes it to the final of any competition in which he has led his respective teams. Be it with India in 2007, 2011, and 2013, or with Chennai Super Kings for a record the 10 times. The frequency during his heydays as skipper was such that the bulk of cricket experts and buffs would already have CSK as one of the pacesetters for notching up a place in the final. 

There is absolutely no doubt that Virat Kohli was not an exceptional leader in the league circuit. However, the results haven't reflected the same. It could almost be connected to the fact that RCB have never been a well-balanced side; with either the batting or bowling department falling short in almost every season. Out of the nine seasons Kohli has presided over the side, the Bengaluru-based franchise have managed to make it to the final only once, in 2016, a season which had Kohli stand out as the cornerstone of the batting order.

But given the fact that Kohli is not at the helm of the RCB as a leader anymore and the franchise will hope to see the legendary Indian to play a similar role in the team similar to that Dhoni-Gaikwad duo in the Chennai setup, Dhoni’s impeccable record will remain unbreakable for a long time. Notably, the maximum any franchise has consecutively made it to an IPL final is four years (CSK from 2010 to 2013).