Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar and reflecting on MS Dhoni’s legacy with CSK and his bond with Chennai Super Kings, the experts said:

Aakash Chopra: “The bond between MS Dhoni and Chennai is truly heartwarming. It’s rare for a player from another city to be embraced so completely as one of their own.”

Ajay Jadeja: “It’s been a beautiful journey. When the IPL started in 2008, every team had its own icon—Yuvraj Singh for Punjab, Virender Sehwag for Delhi. No one could have imagined back then that Dhoni would become the son of Chennai.”

Anil Kumble : “Tamil Nadu has a history of hero worship, so it was only a matter of time before MS Dhoni earned that status, where fans truly idolized him.”

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar on CSK’s leadership transition, the experts and the skipper himself said: 

Shane Watson: “The incredible part is that, even at 42, MS Dhoni is still delivering moments of brilliance. Though his role is more limited now, his impact on the team—and especially the fans—remains invaluable.”

Aakash Chopra: “When your season doesn’t go well, you turn around and say, look at Dhoni, he’s batting low. Dhoni is no longer the captain. Was he just occupying a place? Personally, I don’t see it like that. I think it’s a big part of Chennai Super Kings and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s strategy that you have to hold your hand to the next king in line.”

Ruturaj Gaikwad : “Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I’m not leading this year—you are.’ I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?’ With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming. But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won’t interfere—except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it’s not a compulsion to follow my advice. That trust meant a lot to me.”

Shane Watson: “I was a bit surprised that Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj, considering his unmatched leadership instincts. But he understands the importance of a smooth transition, and it’s better for that transition to happen while he is still around to guide the team.”

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy, the experts said: 

Anil Kumble: “When Rohit Sharma became captain, he also had the legends of the game around him. So it all depends on how, as an individual, you’re going to take this responsibility. And I thought Ruturaj certainly handed it really well.”

Aakash Chopra: “When a highly experienced captain is still on the field, his presence can be either an asset or overwhelming. Some players might wonder, ‘Am I really leading, or is the team still looking to the former captain?’ But Dhoni’s personality is exceptional—he ensures the transition is seamless without overshadowing the new leader.”

Robin Uthappa: “CSK had a fantastic 2023 season, and the timing felt right to pass on the leadership. Ruturaj has a calm demeanor, quite similar to Dhoni’s. He is evolving as a leader, and with time, his performances will reflect that growth.”

Shane Watson: “Ruturaj has done an excellent job. Despite the pressure of having Dhoni around, it hasn’t affected his ability to score runs. That speaks volumes about how well CSK’s succession plan is working.”

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar about expectations for MS Dhoni this season, the experts said: 

Aakash Chopra: “I think the planning for the post-Dhoni era has begun. Because now we can see that a time is coming when Dhoni as a player will not be a part of that group.”

Anil Kumble: “With Ruturaj leading the side, this could be a season where Dhoni may not even take the field. He might still be part of the squad, thanks to retention rules, and with the impact player rule, his presence can still be valuable without playing every game.”

AB de Villiers: “Gotta give credit to him for encouraging millions of fans out there to watch the game of cricket and to be inspired. It’s because of guys like him who have really carried the game well over a very long period of time. Touch wood, hopefully it continues for a few more years to come.”

Catch bites from AB de Villiers, Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Shane Watson, Graeme Smith and others in ‘Power-Play’, streaming on the JioHotstar app

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MS Dhoni had retired from Test cricket in December 2014 after playing 90 matches and had stepped down as captain of India’s limited-overs formats teams in January 2017.

MS Dhoni was part of Grade A in the BCCI’s central contracts list last year but after he had made himself unavailable since the World Cup, he was left out of the 27-member list for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

BCCI Central Contracts for 2019-20:

Grade A+ (INR 7 cr): Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

Grade A (INR 5 cr): Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant

Grade B (INR 3 cr): Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal

Grade C (INR 1 cr): Kedar Jadhav, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar.

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Amrapali’s “arrangement” with Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited and Amrapali Mahi Developers Private Limited came to light during a forensic audit ordered by the top court of the real estate developer in 2018.

The Amrapali Group of Companies paid Rs 42.22 crore to Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited between 2009 and 2015, the court was told. Of the sum, Rs 6.52 crore was paid by Amrapali Sapphire Developers Private Limited.  While Dhoni, also known as Mahi, has a major stake in Rhiti Sport, Sakshi is a director of Amrapali Mahi. Dhoni was a brand ambassador for the group until three years ago.

The audit showed that agreements made for “payment of amounts to Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited Company are sham agreements and made just for making payments to Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited.  We feel that homebuyers money has been diverted illegally and wrongly to Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited and should be recovered from them as the said agreement in our opinion do not stand the test of law”, justices Arun Mishra and UU Lalit said in a 270-page order.

Amrapali Mahi Developers Pvt Ltd received share capital in cash and all expenses were paid in cash, the audit report said.

Dhoni, husband of Sakshi Singh Dhoni (director of company), was the brand ambassador of Amrapali Group. Dhoni carried out a number of transactions with respect to endorsement of the group’s projects. He entered into agreements with other group companies, the audit report submitted by Pawan Kumar Aggarwal and Ravinder Bhatia said.

Meanwhile, Rhiti Group has clarified that the observations mentioned in “forensic report (only) are bereft of proper information or relevant documents. The company has been in possession of all information and relevant documents that can establish the clean image and that the observations made in the said report are incorrect.”

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