MS Dhoni

Biography:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, an Indian professional cricket player who was born on July 7, 1981, is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He was captain of the Indian cricket team in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014 and in limited overs formats from 2007 to 2017. He is widely recognized as one of the most successful wicket-keeper batsman and captains. Dhoni is the most successful Indian captain and has led the most international games. As the only captain to win three distinct ICC limited overs competitions, he has guided India to success in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. In addition, he was a member of the winning team in 2018 and led the squads that won the Asia Cup in 2010 and 2016.

Dhoni, who was born in Ranchi, debuted for Bihar in the first class in 1999. He played his first test match against Sri Lanka a year after making his debut for the Indian cricket team in an ODI against Bangladesh on December 23, 2004. He took over as the ODI team’s captain in 2007, and by 2008, he was in charge of all forms. Dhoni played limited overs cricket until 2019 despite retiring from Test cricket in 2014. In international cricket, he has amassed 17,266 runs, including over 10,000 at an average of over 50 in One-Day Internationals.

Dhoni, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has led them to the final ten times and won it five times (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023), sharing this record with Rohit Sharma. Additionally, in 2010 and 2014, he guided CSK to two Champions League T20 championships. In addition to being the first wicketkeeper to reach 5,000 runs in the IPL, Dhoni is one of the few batsmen to do so.

The Indian government presented Dhoni with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honor, in 2008. In 2009, he was awarded the fourth-highest civilian honor, Padma Shri, and in 2018, the third-highest civilian honor, Padma Bhushan. The Indian Army awarded Dhoni the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army in 2011. He was admitted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in June 2025.