Even if he is facing trouble on many fronts for his wife’s alleged links with Vindoo Dara Singh and turmoil within the CSK following the arrest of CEO Gurunath Meiyappan in connection with the spot-fixing scandal, Team India skipper MS Dhoni landed in a mess yet again for his association with a sports management firm.
According to a leading business daily, MS Dhoni has a 15 per cent stake in sports management firm, Rhiti Sports, which manages cricketers Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha. Even pacer RP Singh is being linked to Rhiti Sports. However, RP Singh has clarified that he left the firm way back in 2010.
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If we go by the rule book, that creates a conflict of interest, as the skipper plays a key role in picking up the playing XI on any tour. Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. So, that also raises serious questions on Dhoni’s powers to pick up the team. Dhoni not only picks up the playing XI for Team India and CSK, but also has a larger say in the selection process. He is also the Vice President of India Cements, which owns CSK.
Rhiti Sports is owned by Arun Pandey, a close friend of Ms Dhoni. Rhiti signed Dhoni up for Rs 210 crore for three years in 2010. While Dhoni holds 15% shares in Rhiti, Arun Pandey and his family own the remaining 85% shares.