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Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born on 7th July 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) to Pan Singh and Devika Devi. Dhoni was the youngest of his three siblings, the other two being Narendra Singh Dhoni and Jayanti Gupta.
Dhoni studied in DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir in Shyamali, Ranchi - a school whose sporting culture had a strong impact on his early career. Dhoni initially started out playing football as a goalkeeper, where his quick reflexes were noted by his coach, who suggested that he try out wicket-keeping in the school’s cricket team. Later on, he was coached by Kedar Nath Lal at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).
Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat on July 4, 2010, in Dehradun after privately dating for a while. Their daughter, Ziva, was born on February 6, 2015, in Ranchi. The couple are known for keeping their private life private and low-profile.
Dhoni lives in a massive farmhouse dubbed “Kailashpati” worth Rs 6 crore, which is located on Ranchi’s Ring Road in Simaliya, Jharkhand. It spans over 7 acres and features multiple amenities such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, cricket net-practice area, indoor stadium, pet areas and huge landscape gardens, showcasing his love for nature. He also owns a luxury apartment in Worli, Mumbai. Additionally, he also owns residences in Pune, Dehradun, and Chennai. He is an avid investor in real estate too.
The fact that Dhoni is a connoisseur of automobiles is evident from his expansive and spectacular collection of cars, ranging from sports cars to tractors. Some of his most ravishing collections include the Ferrari 590 GTO, Porsche 911, Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, 1969 Ford Mustang and Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
He also is the owner of multiple SUVs and off-roaders, such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, Hummer H2, Land Rover Freelander 2, Mitsubishi Pajero SFX and a custom Scorpio. He owns vintage cars like the Nissan Jonga, Volkswagen Beetle and Plymouth De Luxe. His EV collection includes the Kia EV6, Mercedes-Benz GLE, and Audi Q7 among others. He also owns a Mahindra Swaraj 963 FE tractor.
In addition to his magnificent cars, he also owns a few majestic watches. He is passionate about Rolex and owns a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Yellow Gold Champagne Black Dial, a Rolex GMT-Master II 18k White Gold, a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Everose Gold, and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 18k White Gold Sapphires. He is also the proud owner of a Panerai Luminor GMT 44mm, a Panerai Luminor Chrono Flyback 44mm, a Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech 47mm, and an Omega Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award.'
Dhoni always was passionate about football from a very young age, as that’s how he ventured into sports. He became the co-owner of the ISL club Chennaiyin FC in 2014. He is an avid football enthusiast, often taking part in engagement with the team. He is also an ardent supporter of the Premier League club Manchester United. He has often cited that his favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo. He can also be seen playing football as a part of his fitness routine.
His automobile collection doesn’t end with cars, for he is also a massive motorcycle enthusiast. Some of the legendary bikes to his name include the Yamaha RD350, Kawasaki Ninja H2, Ducati 1098, Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, Honda CBR600RR, Confederate Hellcat X132, Suzuki Hayabusa and Norton Commando 961, among others.
The man is also a licensed helicopter pilot and was given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army in 2011. His love for trekking and camping out in the wilderness is a testament to his love for nature. He is also a lovable philanthropist and the founder of the MS Dhoni Charitable Fund, which helps underprivileged children and backward sections of society. He aided in establishing educational initiatives and made contributions to environmental conservation, COVID-19 relief and various other charitable causes, which displays his humanitarian side.
Instagram: @mahi7781
Twitter/X: @msdhoni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSDhoni/
Captain Cool was an endorser of Pepsi from 2005 to 2016. He is also an ambassador of LifeWear India, Lay’s, Skipper Pipes, AMFI, Gulf Oil and Eurogrip Tyres, among others. Dhoni is the co-owner and brand ambassador of SEVEN, a lifestyle brand that manufactures casual and sportswear clothing and footwear. He was a long-time ambassador of Reebok.
MS Dhoni’s cricketing career began when his school’s coach, Keshav Banerjee, noted his agility and reflexes while playing as a goalkeeper and suggested he try wicket-keeping for the school’s cricket team. Early on in his career, he was a part of Commando Cricket Club, where his skills were noted by the Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 tournament in 1997–98. He then proceeded to join the Bihar U-19 team and subsequently the Bihar Ranji Team in 1999-2000. Further honing his skills, he was called up to the national team, where he made his debut on December 23, 2004, against Bangladesh.
Since his early career, his style has included aggressive batting whose brute power is enough to send balls flying into the stands. As a wicket-keeper, he is exceptionally quick with his reflexes, and his agility is nothing short of extraordinary. As a captain, his legend will forever live on as the man who never crumbled under pressure and the one who always knew the right decision to take. He captained the nation to 3 ICC trophies along with multiple IPL trophies with CSK.
Dhoni’s Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar was against Assam in the 1999-2000 season. He exploded onto the scene with 283 runs in 5 matches. He scored his first-ever first-class century against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2000-2001 season. His breakthrough came when he was promoted to the India A tour to Zimbabwe and Kenya. His excellent performances caught the eye of the then-captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright. After his debut for India in 2004, he later became a regular on the team a year later in 2005. His Test debut was against Sri Lanka in November 2005.
Dhoni was first appointed as the vice captain of India’s ODI team in the 2007 Future Cup against South Africa. In the first-ever ICC World Twenty20, he was named the captain in September 2007. Following a stellar victory in the tournament, especially after defeating archrivals Pakistan in the final, Dhoni was elevated to the captaincy of the national team for all formats later.
Dhoni’s first-ever international tournament as a captain bore fruit as he led the team to a victory in the 2007 ICC T20 (World Twenty20) title, India’s first-ever ICC trophy after the 2002 Champions Trophy. The biggest win of his career came in 2011, where he famously led the Indian team to an unforgettable victory - India’s second and last to date—the lauded ICC World Cup trophy, against Sri Lanka. He was also the one who finished the game off with his signature Helicopter Style six straight into the roaring crowd. Then he led the team to an iconic 2013 ICC Champions Trophy victory against England on their own turf. He is the only Indian captain to secure all three major ICC trophies and is often regarded as the best captain ever in Indian cricketing history.
In the IPL, Dhoni has always been at the heart of Chennai Super Kings’ success. He is one of the most successful captains in the competition’s history, having secured the most ever titles (tied with Rohit Sharma as a captain). He won the said titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. He holds the record for the most matches played (229) and most wins (134) as a captain. His team has been the most consistent playoff performer, having played 10 finals and having one of the highest win percentages in IPL’s history.
It is estimated that the net worth of MS Dhoni is ~$132 million (Rs 1,100 crore). Forbes estimates that he earns as much as $4 million from cricket alone, annually, mostly from CSK, since he has retired from international cricket. He also earns ~$27 million from brand endorsements annually. He is also an avid businessman who has multiple investments in sports teams, fashion brands, real estate and various other co-owned and personal ventures.
Year | Award | Issuer |
2006 | MTV Youth Icon of the Year | MTV |
2008 | Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award | Government of India |
2008, 2009 | ICC ODI Player of the Year | ICC |
2009 | Padma Shri | Government of India |
2011 | Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year | Castrol |
2013 | ICC People’s Choice Award | ICC |
2018 | Padma Bhushan | Government of India |
MS Dhoni is often dubbed as “Captain Cool”, arising from his ability to stay calm under pressure.
Dhoni is the only Indian captain with 100+ wins in international matches in all formats.
The only wicket-keeper captain to win all three major ICC trophies in history.
He was awarded the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army in 2011.
His life was turned into a film titled “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” in 2016, which was a massive hit at the box office, with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput portraying Dhoni.
He holds the title for the fastest ever stumping in the history of the game - 0.08 seconds. Insane!
A: MS Dhoni has been married once. He married Sakshi Singh Rawat on July 4, 2010. The couple has a daughter who was born in 2015.
A: There has been no indication that IPL 2025 would be MS Dhoni's last IPL. After Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got knocked out of the playoffs race, he claimed that the team is now keen to perform strongly in IPL 2026.
A: MS Dhoni is now 43 years old. On 7th July, 2025 he will celebrate his 44th birthday.
A: MS Dhoni is an automobile lover. He owns a wide range of bikes and cars and loves spending time on them. He also loves spending time with his family, often traveling outdoors.
A: In international cricket, i.e., Tests + ODIs and T20Is, MS Dhoni has scored a combined of 108 half centuries. He has 33 fifties in Tests, 73 in ODIs and 2 in T20Is.
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