CHENNAI: M.S. Dhoni had a possible share in the profits that the players endorsements yielded, which clearly put him a position of being in a conflict of interests. When this controversy broke out, Rhiti sent out a statement saying the shares issued to Dhoni were bought back the following month.
Read: Supreme Court names, slams MS Dhoni over being silent on IPL spot-fixing
Dhoni is known to be close to Srinivasan, who owns India Cements, which in turn owns the Chennai Super Kings team, of which Dhoni is the skipper.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi in an interview to this newspaper had said Dhoni should never have been an employee of India Cements and at the same time lead the Indian team.
“To make matters worse we all know that he has defended Srinivasan’s stance about Gurunath Meiyappan being a mere enthusiast and not a face of Team CSK. The longer Dhoni takes to clarify his stand on the issue, the more damage he is doing to his image and brand value,” Modi had said.
However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Thursday said neither Srinivasan nor Dhoni ever gave a written or oral statement before the Mudgal Committee that Meiyappan was merely a cricket enthusiast.
Read: SC guns for Srinivasan, tells BCCI to disqualify Chennai Super Kings
Though Dhoni has made an immense contribution to the game as a swashbuckling batsman and a composed skipper, his association with Srinivasan and India Cements has damaged his reputation in the eyes of public and media.
Dhoni’s association with his childhood friend Pandey sharpened his business acumen. He also helped Pandey set up a chain of gymnasiums and also ventured into two-wheeler racing by buying a team in the Supersports World Championship, which they eventually had to shut.
