Key facts
- Known for: Cricketer (wicket-keeper batter)
- Born: 7 Jul 1981, Ranchi, Bihar (now Jharkhand)
- Age: 45 years (as of 8 Nov 2026)
- Spouse: Sakshi Singh Rawat (m. 2010)
Childhood in Ranchi
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born on 7 Jul 1981 in Ranchi, then in Bihar and now the capital of Jharkhand. His parents, Pan Singh and Devaki Devi, came from Lwali village in the Almora district of today's Uttarakhand. He's the youngest of three children. The family spells the name "Dhauni"; "Dhoni" came from a mistake in his school certificates that was never corrected.
At DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir he played football as a goalkeeper. His sports teacher, Keshav Banerjee, needed a wicket-keeper for the school cricket team and asked him to try. He never went back to football.
Club cricket and the railway job
He kept wicket for Commando Cricket Club from 1995 to 1998 and then for the Central Coalfields Limited team, where he started batting higher up the order. Good club form got him into the Vinoo Mankad Trophy under-16 side and then the Bihar under-19 team.
He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar against Assam in the 1999–2000 season, aged 18, and scored 68 in the second innings. From 2001 to 2003 he worked as a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur station for Indian Railways and played for the railways side while chasing a place in the national team.
His break came through the BCCI's small-town talent-spotting programme. In 2004 he toured Zimbabwe and Kenya with India A and scored back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan A, finishing the tri-series with 362 runs at an average of 72.40.
Career milestones
- 2004
ODI debut against Bangladesh
- 2007
Wins the first World T20 as captain
- 2011
Wins the World Cup with 91 not out
- 2013
Wins the Champions Trophy
- 2020
Retires from international cricket
- 2023
Fifth IPL title with CSK
International debut and the 183 not out
He made his ODI debut against Bangladesh on 23 Dec 2004 and was run out for a duck. In his fifth ODI, against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam in April 2005, he hit 148 off 123 balls, then a record for an Indian wicket-keeper.
Later that year he beat his own record. Promoted to No. 3 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur, he scored 183 not out off 145 balls to win the match. It was the highest score by a wicket-keeper in ODI cricket and, for seven years, the highest in any ODI run chase. His power came from strong wrists and a fast, flat swing rather than classical technique. His trademark was the helicopter shot, a whip of the bat that sends a yorker over the leg side, which he has said he picked up from a childhood friend in Ranchi, Santosh Lal.
He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Chennai in December 2005 and scored his first Test hundred in Faisalabad in 2006.
Captain of India
After India's group-stage exit from the 2007 World Cup, the selectors made him captain of a young side for the first World Twenty20 in South Africa that September. India beat Pakistan by five runs in the final in Johannesburg. He handed the last over to the little-known Joginder Sharma, and Misbah-ul-Haq's scoop was caught by S. Sreesanth at short fine leg. The gamble became a template for his captaincy, and he was soon captain in all three formats.
Under him India reached No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings for the first time in December 2009. He was known for staying calm under pressure, backing young players and making late, unusual bowling changes that often worked.
The 2011 World Cup and the Champions Trophy
India co-hosted the 2011 World Cup. In the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 Apr 2011, he promoted himself above Yuvraj Singh, scored 91 not out and finished the game with a six. He was player of the match, and India won its second World Cup, 28 years after the first. The Mumbai Cricket Association later dedicated the seats where that ball landed to him.
He also played in that final alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his sixth and last World Cup.
In 2013 India won the Champions Trophy in England, beating the hosts by five runs in a rain-shortened final. That made Dhoni the only captain to win the World T20, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He also led India to Asia Cup wins in 2010 and 2016.
Test retirement and stepping down
He retired from Test cricket in December 2014, in the middle of the series in Australia, after the third Test in Melbourne. He took nine dismissals in that last Test and passed Kumar Sangakkara's record for most stumpings in international cricket.
In January 2017 he gave up the limited-overs captaincy to Virat Kohli but kept playing as wicket-keeper. That August he became the first keeper with 100 ODI stumpings. His last international match was the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, where he was run out by Martin Guptill's direct hit with India chasing. He announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 Aug 2020.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 90 | 4,876 | 38.09 | 6 | 38 |
| ODIs | 350 | 10,773 | 50.57 | 10 | 123 |
| T20Is | 98 | 1,617 | 37.60 | 0 | 34 |
He captained India in 332 international matches, more than anyone else. His 195 international stumpings are a world record.
Chennai Super Kings and the IPL
Chennai Super Kings bought him for US$1.5 million at the first IPL auction in 2008, the most expensive player that year. He led CSK to titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023, and to two Champions League T20 titles. Five IPL titles as captain is a record he shares with Rohit Sharma. When CSK were suspended for 2016 and 2017, he played for Rising Pune Supergiant.
He handed the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the 2024 season, then took it back in 2025 when Gaikwad was injured.
Where his IPL career stands (as of November 2026)
He didn't play a single match in IPL 2026 because of calf and knee problems, though he stayed with the squad all season. He hasn't retired. In early November 2026 he told an audience in Bengaluru that he'd decide "before December", after medical tests, whether he can play one more season in 2027. CSK's management has said the decision is his.
| Year | Trophy | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ICC World Twenty20 | India |
| 2010 | Asia Cup | India |
| 2010 | IPL and Champions League T20 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2011 | ICC Cricket World Cup | India |
| 2011 | IPL | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2013 | ICC Champions Trophy | India |
| 2014 | Champions League T20 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2016 | Asia Cup | India |
| 2018, 2021, 2023 | IPL | Chennai Super Kings |
Honours
He received the Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, in 2008, the Padma Shri in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018. The Indian Army made him an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army in 2011. He qualified as a paratrooper in 2015 and served a two-week stint with his unit in Kashmir in 2019. In June 2025 he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Personal life
He married Sakshi Singh Rawat on 4 Jul 2010 in Dehradun. Their daughter, Ziva, was born on 6 Feb 2015. The family lives on his farmhouse outside Ranchi, where he keeps a large collection of motorbikes and cars.
Away from cricket he co-owns the football club Chennaiyin FC, runs the lifestyle brand SEVEN and set up Dhoni Entertainment, which has produced documentaries and films.
On screen and in print
His life up to the 2011 World Cup was told in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), with Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead. Bharat Sundaresan's book The Dhoni Touch looks at his leadership.
Net worth
We haven't found a credible published rich-list estimate of MS Dhoni's net worth, so we don't give a figure.
Legacy
Dhoni showed that a player from a small town without a cricket tradition could lead India. With three ICC trophies, five IPL titles and a world-record 195 stumpings, he's one of the most successful captains and keepers the game has seen. Like Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha, he's become a symbol of what Indian sport can achieve.
Frequently asked questions
How old is MS Dhoni?
MS Dhoni was born on 7 Jul 1981, so he is 45 years old as of November 2026.
Who is MS Dhoni's wife?
Sakshi Singh Rawat. They married on 4 Jul 2010 in Dehradun, and their daughter Ziva was born on 6 Feb 2015.
When did MS Dhoni retire?
He retired from Test cricket in December 2014 and from all international cricket on 15 Aug 2020. He hasn't retired from the IPL.
Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2027?
It's not decided. He missed IPL 2026 through injury and said in November 2026 that he'd decide before December after medical tests.
How many IPL titles has MS Dhoni won?
Five, all as captain of Chennai Super Kings: 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
What was MS Dhoni's job before cricket?
He worked as a travelling ticket examiner for Indian Railways at Kharagpur from 2001 to 2003.
Sources
- ESPNcricinfo: MS Dhoni player profile and statistics
- ICC: Hall of Fame inductees 2025
- Sportstar: Dhoni on his IPL 2027 decision
- India Today: Dhoni missed the whole of IPL 2026
- Wikipedia: MS Dhoni (cross-checked dates and records)
