Wherever you are in India, you won’t find many people who haven’t at least heard of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He’s best known for his cricketing prowess but has recently signed a deal to become a PokerStars Ambassador. This is the latest in a number of business deals he’s made recently. Here’s how he got there.
Domestic Cricket and International Success
The cricketing legend made his first international appearance for the Indian cricket team back in December 2004 when he played in a One Day International match against Bangladesh.
He earned his spot through his five years playing for the Bihar cricket team when the state was split into two. From that point forward, he joined the newly formed Jharkhand Cricket Team.
Almost a year after his first ODI, Dhoni played in his first test, and his first Twenty20 International a year after that. 2007 saw his first international trophy when he and the Indian team won the ICC World Twenty20 Cup. following this up with a Cricket World Cup win in 2011, the country’s first since 1983.
Under his captaincy, India picked up several more trophies, including the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Indian Premier League
Dhoni joined the Chennai Super Kings in 2008 for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League with a contract worth $1.5 million. This made him the most expensive player in the league that year. It was money well spent too, the team won the IPL in 2010 and 2011, as well as the Champions League T20 in 2010 and 2014.
When the team was suspended from the league for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Dhoni moved to Rising Pune Supergiant, reaching the final of the IPL during his second year. Upon Chennai Super Kings’ return, Dhoni signed for them again, leading them to their third title. They also narrowly missed out on a fourth title the following year, losing by a single run.
Awards
Dhoni’s record-breaking success has seen him win several personal awards, including the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the Padma Shri, and the Padma Bhushan. Few cricketers are awarded this number of honors in the country.
Other Interests
Although he’s most famous for being a cricketer, MS Dhoni has a lot of other business and personal interests. He’s invested in several sports teams, including a hockey club and a football club. In 2016, he started a fashion brand and in 2019, he began producing TV shows.
photo: Unsplash.com
Poker
Another interest is in poker, one of the world’s most popular card games. This love of the game has led him to sign with PokerStars, one of the biggest online poker brands in India and the world.
The sport of poker is enjoyed by people around the world, from a whole host of backgrounds. While traditionally it was played in casinos and poker rooms, it saw a rebirth when brands like PokerStars began letting people play online.
Today, it’s possible to qualify for some of the world’s biggest poker tournaments in the world by taking part in online qualifying events, making it accessible to professionals and amateurs alike. Despite the common misconception, you don’t even need to spend money to start playing poker online. Players in India can begin playing with PokerStars without making a real-money deposit, instead, they just need to follow a few easy steps to get started.
In signing with PokerStars, Dhoni joins Muskan Sethi as has been an Ambassador for the company for several years now. His trademark cool-headedness that has been seen so often on the cricket field makes him an ideal poker player, making it easy for him to make the right decisions at the table and to prevent his opponents from reading him.
Conclusion
Athletes that achieve the fame, fortune, and status that MS Dhoni has acquired through playing cricket in the IPL and for the Indian national team nearly always turn their hands to other ventures. Lewis Hamilton has a fashion line, while Tiger Woods owns a restaurant, a golf course design business, and several other investments
For Dhoni, most of his focus has remained on sport, with his new deal with PokerStars being the latest example of this.
