MS Dhoni is a legend in the world of cricket. His contribution to world cricket, and especially Indian cricket will be forever remembered. He gave India so many moments to cherish for a lifetime. He led the national team and the Chennai franchise in IPL. In both the roles, he displayed incredible leadership and fortitude. He has inspired youngsters in India. He has instilled the belief in the hearts of the youth that one can earn a name even if he comes from a place which is not a tier-1 city.
When Dhoni retired, he was one of the richest sportsman man in the country. He, along with Kohli and Tendulkar would feature in the list of richest cricketers in the world. His networth was a massive INR 826 rupees at the time of retiring. If one switches on the television today, Dhoni features in innumerable advertising campaign. This just establishes the fact that his brand value has hardly diminished even after retirement. He continues to play in IPL and is part of multiple brand campaigns which continues to keep him in the list of richest cricketers.
Dhoni makes a whooping INR 15 crores per season that he plays for Chennai Super Kings. He has been making this amount for 3 successive years now. In addition, when he played for India, he was part of the elite A grade contract and ad a retainer of INR 5 crores. Apart from this, for every test, ODI and T20 that he played for the country, he made INR 5 lacs, 2 lacs and 1 lac respectively.
In addition to his cricket, he has represented Reebok, India Cements, Pepsi, Indigo Paints, Orient fans, Oreo among others. He charges INR 40 lacs per brand advertisement making him one of the most expensive brand ambassadors currently. Aside from him being brand ambassadors, he also has multiple business ventures and investments.
He has a hotel in Ranchi by the name of Hotel Mahi Residency. He also has a footwear brand “Seven”. He has stake in franchises of hockey and football teams in Indian leagues. He also owns a sports management firm which manages players. He also made a massive INR 30 crores from the sale of the rights of his own biography into a motion picture which released in 2016.
Thus, it is seen that Dhoni is not just a sharp player on the field but also a brilliant business thinker. He made strategic investments in ventures that are resulting windfall profits today. His brand value continues to be at an all-time high and it is evident that his retirement has had little effect on his popularity with the masses.