When Shah Rukh Khan wanted to buy MS Dhoni at IPL auction, said `pyjama bech ke bhi kharid loon`

It was in 2008, ahead of the start of the inaugural season that MS Dhoni had gone under the hammer and was roped in by CSK for $1.5 million - the highest amount for any player at the time.

Former India captain MS Dhoni is a prize commodity even a year after his international retirement. Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021 at the UAE against Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders.

There was a time when the Bollywood superstar was super-keen on bringing Dhoni to KKR from CSK if given an opportunity at the IPL auction.

Dhoni is arguably one of the most loved cricketers across the globe. He remains the only captain in international cricket to have won all three major ICC trophies – ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC ODI World Cup (2011) and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He is one of the greatest ever to have played for the country and took India to greater heights under his leadership.

It was in 2008, ahead of the start of the inaugural season that Dhoni had gone under the hammer and was roped in by CSK for $1.5 million – the highest amount for any player at the time. Dhoni has since never entered the IPL auction.

He played for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 when CSK were suspended for two years from the league.  It was ahead of the IPL auction in 2018 when Dhoni was set to return to CSK after playing for Pune for two seasons when Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh said he is keen to have Dhoni play for KKR in the IPL even if it meant he had to sell his ‘pyjamas’ to get him.

“Yaar main toh usko apna pajama bech ke bhi kharid lun, wo aaye toh auction mein. (Brother, I can even sell my pants to buy Dhoni. He has to come for the auction for that),” SRK was quoted as saying by Sportswallah back then.

As it turned out, Dhoni returned to CSK in 2018 and led them to a memorable IPL triumph the same year. He was fabulous as a captain and even better with the bat as the CSK skipper scored 455 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of over 150 to inspire the team to their third title.

Dhoni has once again been retained by CSK ahead of the new IPL season in 2022 and will be leading the ‘Men-in-Yellow’ for another season.