NEW DELHI : Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been associated with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. He is CSK’s most-capped player in the league and also holds the record for scoring the most runs for the Men in Yellow. Dhoni, who is in the twilight of his playing career, reportedly wanted to strengthen his association with the Chennai-based franchise by buying a stake in CSK. However, according to a report, the deal fell through after the CSK management did not agree to his terms.
According to CricBlogger, the 45-year-old cricketer from Ranchi had expressed an interest in buying a stake in CSK, but the management did not agree to the terms proposed by him.
As per the available information, Dhoni initially wanted to buy a 25% stake in the franchise, but the CSK owners were willing to offer him 3%.
Dhoni then lowered his demand to 20%, but the management’s offer increased only to 4%. Following another round of discussions, Dhoni reportedly offered to settle the deal for an 18% stake, but the CSK management’s final offer was 5.5%.
“Dhoni wanted to buy a stake. He wasn’t asking for it for free, but the CSK management thought otherwise,” a source was quoted as saying by CricBlogger.
According to sources, most of the negotiations between Dhoni and the CSK management took place verbally, with no formal written proposal or agreement exchanged between the two parties.
It has also been reported that the disagreement over the stake has soured the relationship between CSK and Dhoni, and there is no certainty over whether the former CSK captain will play for the five-time IPL champions again.
Dhoni was retained by CSK for Rs 4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, due to injury, he did not play a single match for the Men in Yellow in the 2026 edition of the cash-rich league.
