Mahendra Singh Dhoni (/məˈheɪndrə ˈsɪŋ dhæˈnɪ/ ⓘ; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian professional cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and a wicket-keeper.

He made his debut for the Indian cricket team on 23 December 2004 in an ODI against Bangladesh and played his first test a year later against Sri Lanka.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Dhoni plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), leading them to the final on ten occasions and winning it five times (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023).

Dhoni was born on 7 July 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) in a Hindu Rajput family to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi.

[11][12] He played as a wicket-keeper for Commando cricket club from 1995 to 1998 and Central Coal Fields Limited (CCL) team in 1998.

[19][20] Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar against Assam in the 1999–2000 season, as an eighteen-year-old scoring 68 runs in the second innings.

[25][26] In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni represented East Zone and scored a fighting half-century in the second innings in a losing cause.

[40] The innings would surpass his earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper and was described in Wisden Almanack as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'.

[41] It was also the highest individual score in ODI cricket in a run chase, a record which was broken seven years later by Shane Watson.

[51][45] Dhoni dropped multiple catches and missed dismissal chances including a key stumping opportunity of Andrew Flintoff which led to criticism of his wicket-keeping.

[56] India recorded identical 3–1 victory over West Indies and Sri Lanka in early 2007 with Dhoni averaging in excess of 100 in both the series.

[45][57] As a result, Dhoni's house in Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by activists of JMM and security was tightened for his family.

[59] Dhoni played for ACC Asia XI cricket team in the Afro-Asia Cup, scoring 174 runs in three matches at an average of 87 including 139 off 97 balls in the third ODI.

[60] Dhoni was named vice-captain of the ODI team for the 2007 Future Cup against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent seven-match series against England.

[67] Dhoni took his first and only wicket in international cricket on 30 September 2009 when he bowled Travis Dowlin of West Indies in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

[74] India won its second ever ODI world cup after defeating Sri Lanka in the final with Dhoni being named man of the match for scoring an unbeaten 91 off 79 balls.

[80] In November 2013, Dhoni became the second India batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to aggregate more than thousand runs in ODIs against Australia.

[87][88] In the Carlton Mid triangular series in Australia, India failed to win a single match with Dhoni himself managing just 70 runs from three innings at an average of 23.34.

[91] India lost to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals with Dhoni having a good series, scoring 237 runs in six innings at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 102.15 and thus, became only the second Indian captain to have an average over 50 and strike rate over 100 in a particular season of the World Cup.

[107][108] In the series, he effected the fastest stumping in the history of cricket, clocked at 0.08 seconds, when dismissing Keemo Paul.

[121][122] Dhoni was acquired by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for US$1.5 million during the auction for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

[124] Following the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new franchises Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were established for the 2016 Indian Premier League season.

[138] He marked his 250th appearance for CSK in this season, in a league stage match against Mumbai Indians on 14 April 2024, helping his team secure a 20-run win, following his unbeaten four-ball 20.

[139] Dhoni holds an honorary rank of Lieutenant colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army (106 Para TA battalion).

[145][146] Dhoni is a co-owner of Chennai-based football club Chennaiyin FC, a franchise of the Indian Super League.

[151][152] In 2019, Dhoni Entertainment entered into a long-term business agreement with Banijay Asia to produce content across various genres.

[164] Dhoni has developed a special connection with the city of Chennai whose IPL franchise he represents and the fans often call him 'Thala' meaning leader in Tamil.

Dhoni holds the bat with a firm grip at the bottom of the handle, striking the ball with force and precision to clear the boundary.

[169] He plays the helicopter shot technique, taught to him by a fellow player and childhood friend Santosh Lal.

[248] In 2023, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) decided to honour him by dedicating seats (J282–J286) at the Wankhede Stadium where he hit the winning shot in 2011 World Cup final.