MS Dhoni is an Indian Professional Cricketer. He is widely considered one of the greatest captains, wicket-keeper-batsman and finisher in the history of cricket. MS Dhoni is known for his calm captaincy and his ability to finish matches in tight situations. He is also the current captain of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League ( IPL ). Under his captaincy the CSK won their 5th IPL title in the recently held 16th edition of the IPL which concluded on 29th May’23 beating Gujurat Titans.
MS Dhoni
Full Name – Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Date of Birth – 7th July 1981
Place of Birth – Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Popularly known as – Mahi, MSD, Captain cool
Height – 5 ft 9 in
Batting – Right Handed
Bowling – Right arm medium
Role – Wicket keeper Batter
Wife – Sakshi Dhoni ( Sakshi Singh Rawat, married on 4 July 2010 )
Dhoni and his wife have one daughter, Zeeva Dhoni.
His parents ( Pan Singh and Devaki Devi ) are from Uttarakhand, Hindu Rajput Family
Number of Siblings – 2, Dhoni is the youngest of three
Early Professional Career
MS Dhoni was the goalkeeper for his DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir school’s football team, but after seeing his goalkeeping skills, his coach Mr.Keshav Ranjan Banerjee, one who inspired Dhoni to be a cricketer, picked him to play cricket for his school team. His exceptional wicket keeping skills allowed him to become the regular wicket keeper at the Commando Cricket Club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship, where he performed well.
1998 – MS Dhoni was selected by Deval Sahay, a former Bihar Cricket Association Vice President and Ranchi District Cricket President, to play for the Central Coal Fields Limited (CCL) team. Till that time, Dhoni was in 12th grade and never played professional cricket. Dhoni performed well there and CCL won several matches and moved to the A division. Deval Sahay got impressed and pushed for his selection in the Bihar team. Within a year, Dhoni became the Senior Bihar Ranji team player.
1998-99 – In the Cooch Behar Trophy, Dhoni played for the U-19 Bihar team. He scored 176 runs in 5 matches.
1999-2000 – In the Cooch Behar Trophy, Punjab defeated Bihar but Dhoni’s contribution in the tournament included 488 runs (9 matches, 12 innings), 5 fifties, 17 catches and 7 stumpings.
MS Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in the 1999–2000 season, as an eighteen-year-old. He made a half century in his debut match scoring 68* in the second innings against Assam cricket team. Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century while playing for Bihar against Bengal in the 2000/01 season. Apart from this century, his performance in the 2000/01 season did not include another score over fifty and in the 2001/02 season, he scored just five fifties in four Ranji matches.
Jharkhand Team
In 2002-03 Ranji season, MS Dhoni made 3 half centuries and a few in the Deodhar Trophy. In 2003-04 season, Dhoni scored a century (128*) against Assam in the first match of the Ranji ODI tournament. Dhoni was part of the East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy 2003–2004 season and contributed with 244 runs in 4 matches, including a century (114) against Central zone.
Former Indian international cricketer Deep Dasgupta picked MS Dhoni to represent East Zone in the Duleep Trophy finals. MS Dhoni’s talent was discovered via the BCCI’s small-town talent-spotting initiative TRDW. MS Dhoni was discovered by TRDO Prakash Poddar, captain of Bengal in the 1960s, when he saw Dhoni play for Jharkhand at a match in Jamshedpur in 2003, and sent a report to the National Cricket Academy.
India A Team
Based on his performances in the 2003-04 seasons, MS Dhoni was recognized and was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. Against the Zimbabwe XI in Harare Sports Club, Dhoni had his best wicket-keeping effort with 7 catches and 4 stumpings in the match.
Next in the tri nation tournament ( Kenya, India A and Pakistan A ), MS Dhoni helped India A chase down their target of 223 against Pakistan A with a half-century. MS Dhoni scored back to back 2 centuries ( 120 and 119 ) with an overall contribution of 362 runs in 6 innings at an average of 72.40. At that time Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian national Cricket Team. MS Dhoni grabbed the attention of Ganguly as well as Ravi Shastri.
International Career
MS Dhoni was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in 2004/05. On his debut, he got runout for a duck. The performance was average but still he was picked next for Pakistan ODI series. In the 2nd match of that series which was his 5th One Day international, Dhoni scored a fantastic 148 with only 123 deliveries in Visakhapatnam, India. With 148, Dhoni broke the earlier record of maximum scores by an Indian wicket keeper batsman.
In the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (October–November 2005), Dhoni ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). In that series Dhoni was the “Man of the series” with 346 runs. In December 2005, Dhoni was rewarded a B-grade contract by the BCCI.
In 2006 against Pakistan, Dhoni’s consistent performance ( 72 runs of 46 balls, 77 runs of 56 balls in the final ), enabled India win the series 4–1. Due to his consistent ODI performances, Dhoni overtook Ricky Ponting as number one in the ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen on 20 April 2006, becoming the fastest batsman to do so, in 42 innings. For his performances in 2006, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC.
India recorded identical 3–1 victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka and Dhoni had averages in excess of 100 in both these series and it was assumed that Preparations for the 2007 Cricket World Cup improved.
In 2007 Cricket World cup, in the group stages, India lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and was out from the World cup. MS Dhoni didn’t perform well. At that time he was building a house at his hometown Ranchi. The construction was vandalised by the political activists of JMM ( Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ). The local police had to arrange security for him and his family.
Dhoni was named vice-captain of the ODI team for the series against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent India-England seven-match ODI series. Dhoni, who received a ‘B’ grade contract in December 2005, was awarded an ‘A’ grade contract ( Rs.5 Crore/Year ) in June 2007. He was also elected as the captain of the Indian squad for the World Twenty20 in September 2007. On 2 September 2007, Dhoni equalled his idol Adam Gilchrist’s international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by catching five English players and stumping one.
During the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Dhoni became the first Indian captain to win all group stage matches in such a tournament. India achieved wins against arch-rivals Pakistan, South Africa (whom they hadn’t beaten before in a World Cup game), the UAE, West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. In the match against Zimbabwe at Eden Park, he made 85 not out chasing 288 and had an unbeaten partnership of 196 with Suresh Raina. This is the highest score by an Indian captain on New Zealand soil.
Beating Bangladesh in the quarter finals, he became the third overall and the first non-Australian captain to win 100 ODI matches. In an unsuccessful effort against eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals, he made 65 as India were unable to defend their title. Dhoni, however, performed well with the bat by scoring 237 runs in 6 innings at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 102.15 and thus, became only the second Indian captain to have an average over 50 and strike rate over 100 in a particular season of the World Cup.
On 12 February 2012, in the T20 internationals, Dhoni made an unbeaten 44 to guide India to their first win over Australia at Adelaide. In the final over, he hit considerably large six which travelled 112 meters off the bowling of Clint McKay. During the post-match presentation, he described this six as more important than the one he hit during the ICC World Cup final in 2011.
He was named as captain and wicketkeeper of the ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the 2014 T20 World Cup by the ICC.
2007 ICC World Twenty20
MS Dhoni was chosen to lead India in first-ever World T20 in 2007. He made his captaincy debut against Scotland but the match was washed off. Thereon, he led India to the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in South Africa, with a victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in an intensely fought final on 24 September 2007, and became the second Indian captain to have won a World Cup in any form of cricket, after Kapil Dev.
Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August 2020.
IPL Journey
Dhoni was contracted by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for US$1.5 million. This made him the most expensive player in the IPL for the first season auctions. Under his captaincy, CSK won the 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and the 2023 Indian Premier League titles and the 2010 and 2014 Champions League T20 titles and ended up as a runner-up in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019 IPL league seasons. MS Dhoni became the first player to play 200 T20 matches for Super Kings.
MS Dhoni’s Records
Test cricket record
- Dhoni is the first Indian wicket-keeper to score 4,000 Test runs.
- After hitting a six in the third Test against England in Southampton, Dhoni completed 50 sixes as a captain, an Indian record.
- Dhoni, with 294 dismissals in his career, ranks first in the all-time dismissals list by Indian wicket-keepers.
ODI cricket record
- Dhoni is the third captain (and the first non-Australian) overall to win 100 games.
- First player to pass 10,000 runs in ODI cricket with having a career average of over 50.
- Most not outs (84) in ODIs.
- Dhoni’s 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005 is the highest score by a wicket-keeper.
- Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were involved in a partnership of 100 not out against Sri Lanka, which is India’s highest eighth wicket partnership in ODIs.
- Dhoni holds the records of the most dismissals in an innings (6) and career (432) by an Indian wicket-keeper.
- Dhoni has the most stumpings (123) by any wicket-keeper in an ODI career, and is so far the only keeper to pass 100 stumpings.
T20I cricket record
- Dhoni holds the record for playing the most T20I innings (76) and scored the most runs (1,153) before scoring a fifty
- Most stumpings as wicket-keeper in T20Is (34)
- Most catches as wicket keeper in a T20I innings (5)
Combined Test, ODI and T20I records
- He has played the most international matches as captain (332)
- Dhoni is the first, and so far only, wicket-keeper to make 150 stumpings across the three forms of the game. His current total of stumpings in internationals stands at 195
Some Important facts about Dhoni
Dhoni holds an honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army (106 Para TA battalion)
It was presented to him by the Indian Army in 2011 for his service to the nation as a cricketer.
After completing five parachute training jumps from Indian Army aircraft in the Agra training camp, he became a qualified paratrooper in 2015.
In August 2019 he completed a two-week stint with the Territorial Army in Jammu and Kashmir.
2007–08: Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna award, India’s highest honor given for achievement in sports
2009: Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award
2018: He was awarded Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award
MTV Youth Icon of the Year: 2006
Honorary doctorate degree by De Montfort University in August 2011
CNN-News18 Indian of the Year: 2011
In 2019, the Jharkhand Cricket Association named their stadium’s South stand after Dhoni – M.S. DHONI PAVILION
In 2023, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to honour him by dedicating seats (J282–J286) at the Wankhede Stadium where he hit the winning shot in 2011 World Cup Final.
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey was based on the life of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput acted as MS Dhoni. The film was a huge success made with a budget of est. ₹104 crore (US$13 million) and resulted in a worldwide box office collection of est. ₹216 crore (US$27 million).
He served as a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at the Kharagpur Railway Station in Midnapore for the South Eastern Railway from 2001 to 2003.
Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and Hulk Hogan are two of MS Dhoni’s favorite WWE wrestlers.
During his early years of international cricket, he had long hair. He once stated that John Abraham was the inspiration for his haircut.
MS Dhoni scored 56% in 12th and 66% in 10th standard.
MS Dhoni was suggested for the captaincy position for the inaugural T20 World Cup by cricket legends Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
MS Dhoni is the only captain in the world to have won all the three major ICC limited-overs tournaments- T20I World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011, and Champions Trophy 2013.
MS Dhoni is India’s most successful captain ever, with a winning record of 45% in Tests, 55.28% in ODIs, and 56.94% in T20Is.
MS Dhoni holds the record of the highest score ever by a wicket-keeper ( 183 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur, back in 2005 )
In April’2023, With ace cricketer M.S. Dhoni as the brand ambassador, the Tamil Nadu government is all set to launch a champions foundation to support young sports persons in the state.
MS Dhoni’s Income
MS Dhoni Net Worth is $127 Million USD (Rs. 1040 crores)
MS Dhoni has emerged as the highest taxpayer from the state of Jharkhand. The Chennai Super Kings captain has reportedly paid taxes more than three times his IPL salary. The Income Tax Department has reported, has claimed in an IANS report, that Dhoni paid an impressive INR 38 crore in advance tax for the financial year 2022-23.
The 41-year-old’s estimated income for this year ( 2022-23 ) is set to be around 130 Crore
In the 16th edition of TATA IPL 2023, MS Dhoni salary is a whopping INR 12 crores
MS Dhoni charges brands around Rs. 4-6 crore per day for his shoots. He is estimated to earn around Rs. 250 crore from long-term endorsement contracts.
The former captain of the Indian Team has over 33 Million Instagram followers. Reports suggest that he makes about Rs. 88 lakhs per sponsored post on Instagram and around Rs. 1.3 crores for each promotional video.
MS Dhoni owns a luxury home in Dehradun, which he bought in the year 2011. The house is estimated to be worth around Rs. 17.8 crores.
MS Dhoni lives with his family in his astonishing farmhouse ‘Kailashpati’. The farmhouse covers an area of 7-acres and is situated at Ranchi’s Ring Road. The luxury house includes an enormous lawn, a gymnasium, and even has a swimming pool.
MS Dhoni owns a gym franchise by the name of SportsFit and a fashion label called Seven (named after his jersey number!)
Dhoni was ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes in 2015. His earnings that year were $31 million, which included his salary/winnings at $4 million and endorsements worth $27 million.
Duff & Phelps (A Kroll Business) pegs Dhoni’s brand value to be $80.3 million as of 2022 with 36 endorsements under his belt. This is higher than $61.2 million with 28 ads a year earlier and $36.3 million in 2020, the year when he announced his retirement.
MS Dhoni is a co-owner of Ranchi-based hockey club Ranchi Rays, a franchise of the Hockey India League.
MS Dhoni is also a co-owner, along with Abhishek Bachchan and Vita Dani, of Chennai-based football club Chennaiyin FC, a franchise of the Indian Super League
MS Dhoni owns the footwear side of the lifestyle brand “SEVEN”.
In 2019, MS Dhoni invested in CARS24 and simultaneously became brand ambassador of the company.
He has also invested in Shaka Harry, a plant-based protein company.
Dhoni Entertainment – Founded in 2019. Producing content in Hindi, English and most regional languages
Mahi owns a hotel under the name Hotel Mahi Residency. The hotel does not have any other franchises, with its sole brand settled in Jharkhand.
The former Indian captain owns more than 200 gyms across the nation, under the name SportsFit World Pvt. Ltd.
Dhoni’s Motorcycles & Cars
MS Dhoni is a huge fan of automobiles. His garage is filled with luxury as well as vintage cars and bikes. Such is his love for bikes that he even co-owns a motorcycle racing team with Telugu film star Akkineni Nagarjuna, called the Mahi Racing team. It’s also India’s first World Superbike team.
MS Dhoni has over 100 bikes including a Suzuki Hayabusa, Kawasaki Ninja H2R ( Rs. 33.30 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) ), Ducati 1098 ( around 25-30 lakhs ), Ninja ZX-14R ( Rs. 16.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) ), Confederate X132 Hellcat ( MS Dhoni is the only South East Asian customer to own this bike ), Harley Davidson FatBoy ( 17 lakhs ), Yamaha RD350 or Rajdoot ( the first bike ), Suzuki Shogun, Yamaha Thundercat, BSA Goldstar, Norton Jubilee 250,
His car collection includes the likes of BMW 7 Series, Hummer H2, Ferrari 599 GTO, Land Cruiser, Audi Q7, Pontiac Firebird Trans AM ( His latest and retirement gift ), GMC Sierra, Mitsubishi Pajero SFX, Land Rover Freelander 2, Mahindra Scorpio and many more.
MS Dhoni owns a jet that costs around Rs 260 crores and is parked at Ranchi airport.
MS Dhoni’s House
MS Dhoni owns a 7-acre property in Ranchi, which took three years to build. The name of the farmhouse is “Kailashpati”. The Indian cricketer moved here in 2017. MS Dhoni’s house price is estimated to be about 6 crore. The address of MS Dhoni’s farmhouse is: Dhoni Farm House, Ranchi Ring Road, Ranchi, Jharkhand – 834005. This home is 20 minutes away from his first home at Harmu Road.
The house includes a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a huge lawn and a beautifully landscaped garden. The property also includes an indoor stadium, a net-practising field and a five-star hotel. Dhoni’s daughter, Ziva is often seen playing around in the garden. The luxurious Dhoni farmhouse has an independent complex with glass walls, which houses the cricketer’s prized possessions such as cars and bikes.
MS Dhoni has numerous dogs as pets. He loves playing and training his dogs, for which he has meticulously planned a training space, along with a resting and playing area.
MS Dhoni and his family recently welcome a new member at their farmhouse. The couple recently adopted a horse named Chetak. He is often seen playing with the pack of dogs, on Instagram videos shared by Sakshi.
Apart from a under construction new Mumbai home, MS Dhoni recently bought a new home in Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad, at the Estado Presidential society, in Ravet.
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