Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian professional cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and a wicketkeeper. He is respected as one of the most prolific wicket-keeper-batsman and captains, he represented the Indian Cricket team and was the captain in limited-overs formats from 2007-2017 and in Test Cricket from 2008-2014. Dhoni has captained the most international matches and is the most successful Indian captain. He has led India to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He also led the teams that won the Asia Cup in 2010, and 2016 and was a member of the title-winning squad in 2018.

In 1999, Dhoni made his first-class debut for Bihar. He made his debut for the Indian cricket team in December 2004 in an ODI against Bangladesh and played his first test a year later against Sri Lanka. In 2007, he became the captain of the ODI side before taking over in all formats in 2008. Dhoni retired from test cricket in 2014 but continued playing in limited-overs cricket till 2019.

He played as a wicket-keeper for Commando Cricket Club from 1995 to 1998 and for Central Coal Fields Limited team in 1998. In the 1998-99, Dhoni played for Bihar U-19 team in the Cooch Behar Trophy. Dhoni made it to the East Zone U-19 squad for the C.K.Naidu Trophy in the 1999-2000 season.

Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bhar against Assam in the 1999-2000 season. He played for Jharkhand in the 2002-2003 Ranji Trophy and represented East zone in the Deodhar Trophy. He was identified as one of the emerging talents via the BCCI’s small-town talent-spotting initiative, TRDW. In 2004, Dhoni was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Dhoni was picked for India A squad for the ODI Bangladesh tour in December 2004. In the October-November 2005 Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series, Dhoni scored an unbeaten 183 runs in 145 balls, winning the game for India. Dhoni was awarded the Man of the Series. He became a regular in the Indian side after the home series against South Africa in November 2005. In December 2005, Dhoni was awarded a B-grade contract by the BCCI. Dhoni was named vice-captain of the ODI team for the 2007 Future Cup against South Africa. He was awarded an ‘A’ grade contract by BCCI in June 2007 and appointed as the captain of the Indian squad for the inaugural World Twenty20 in September 2007.

Dhoni led the Indian squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by India. 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.

Dhoni led India to victory in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and became the first and only captain in international cricket to claim all ICC limited-overs trophies.  He led India in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 where India finished as runners-up after losing to Sri Lanka in the final. He was named captain and wicketkeeper of the ‘Team of the Tournament’ by the ICC.

Dhoni played his last series during India’s tour of Australia in December 2014. Following the third Test in Melbourne, Dhoni announced his retirement from the format.

During the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Dhoni became the first Indian Captain to win all group-stage matches in a World Cup. In the 2016 Asia Cup, Dhoni led India to victory. Dhoni stepped down as captain in January 2017 ahead of the ODI Series at home against England.

In the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, in which India finished as runners-up, Dhoni was named a wicket-keeper of the Team of the Tournament at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

In the inaugural season of the IPL, Dhoni was acquired by Chennai Super Kings. Under his captaincy, CSK won the 2010 IPL. Dhoni returned to CSK for the 2018 season and led his team to its IPL title. In 2021, Dhoni again retained the title for CSK. In the next season, he stepped down from captaincy and Ravindra Jadeja was handed the captaincy. Jadeja handed the captaincy back to Dhoni in the middle of the season and Dhoni led the team to victory once again. Under him, CSK has won five title wins. Ahead of the 2024 IPL, Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. This season he marked his 250th appearance for CSK in a league stage match against Mumbai Indians on 14 April 2024.

MS Dhoni, affectionately known as "Captain Cool," is one of the most iconic figures in Indian cricket history. 

Dhoni burst onto the international scene in 2004 and quickly made a name for himself with his explosive batting style and lightning-quick wicketkeeping skills. His rise to prominence culminated in his appointment as the captain of the Indian cricket team in 2007. Under Dhoni's leadership, Indian cricket witnessed unprecedented success across all formats. The pinnacle of his captaincy came in 2011 when he led India to victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup, ending a 28-year drought and etching his name in cricketing folklore.

Dhoni also holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army (106 Para TA battalion). The honorary rank was presented to him by the Indian Army in 2011 for his service to the nation as a cricketer.