This article contains information regarding the brand endorsement deals of Indian professional cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
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The former Team India and Chennai Super Kings skipper was announced as a brand ambassador, mentor, and investor by Indian whey protein brand Explosive Whey in April 2024.
EMotorad, an electric vehicle startup focusing on e-cycles, roped in Dhoni in a multi-faceted role as an investor and brand ambassador.
As per the deal, EMotorad uses Dhoni’s image to promote its e-cycles through marketing and advertising campaigns and reach out to wider audiences.
Dhoni was revealed as a brand ambassador of French automobile company Citroën’s Indian division in May 2024.
Citroën India hopes to use Dhoni’s popularity to connect with the Indian audience. Dhoni stars in advertisement and media campaigns for the company as part of the deal.
Indian FMCG company Mayora India roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador for its Kopiko candy brand in December 2023, announcing the association via a multi-platform social media campaign.
In November 2023, Dhoni invested in Bangalore-based fitness startup Tagda Raho. The brand aims to combine traditional Indian equipment with modern techniques for its fitness programmes.
In November 2023, Indian manufacturer of consumer packaged foods Patanjali Foods roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador. Dhoni came on board as the face of the company’s “Mahakosh” and “Sunrich” brands and featured in marketing content for the same.
In November 2023, Dhoni was announced as a brand ambassador of Maxivision Super Specialty Eye Hospital. As per the deal, he promotes the hospital’s message of “the importance of regular eye check-ups”.
In October 2023, Indian commercial bank State Bank of India (SBI) signed Dhoni is as an official brand ambassador. Dhoni, as per the agreement, is the face of SBI’s marketing and promotional campaigns.
In October 2023, Dhoni was announced as a brand ambassador of Indian e-commerce brand JioMart. The partnership kicked off with Dhoni headlining JioMart’s festive campaign titled “JioUtsav”.
Lay’s announced Dhoni as a brand ambassador in October 2023, with Dhoni staring in the brand’s marketing campaign for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
In September 2023, Dhoni partnered with Singapore-based online games developer and publisher Garena, joining as a brand ambassador for its battle royale video game Garena Free Fire. He headlined Free Fire India‘s launch and also features in-game as a playable character.
New Delhi-based footwear brand Asian Footwear roped in MS Dhoni as a brand ambassador in July 2023. The partnership sees Dhoni endorse the brand’s products and headlining its marketing and ad campaigns.
In June 2023, Dhoni was announced as a brand ambassador of Swaraj Tractors. The partnership sees Dhoni promote the company’s mechanised agricultural solutions for the Indian farmers.
Skipper Limited, a manufacturer of polymer pipes and fittings, launched an ad campaign with new brand ambassadors MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle as IPL 2023 kicked off, which was curated in association with Lowe Lintas.
The digital livestreaming broadcaster of IPL 2023, JioCinema, roped in MS Dhoni as a brand ambassador ahead of IPL 2023. Following the association, JioCinema kicked off its partnership with a commercial titled “Digital India Ka Digital TATA IPL“.
JioCinema’s IPL 2023 ad campaign also featured Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, and actors Shweta Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee.
The social skill gaming platform roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in June 2022. As per the deal, the Chennai Super Kings skipper features in WinZO’s multi-channel and multi-modal marketing and branding campaigns.
WinZO is a social gaming platform where you can play a variety of games, compete against other players and win money. WinZO advertises itself as the largest vernacular gaming platform in India.
Enigmatic links rewards offered by brands, banks and retailers to the customers’ cards through its identity layer. The firm aims to simplify the loyalty-rewards space by linking the customers’ payment cards to the retailers’ offers with a single sign-on and an automated “reward collection” process.
A software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for content creators, Rigi raised ?100 crore in funding in January 2023. It attracted several angel investors, of which MS Dhoni is one.
Aside from being an investor in the company, Dhoni is also one of its brand ambassadors and thusly features in its promotional content.
Coca-Cola’s packaged drinking water brand Kinley on-boarded Dhoni as a brand ambassador in February 2022. Since then, Dhoni has appeared in various marketing campaigns for the brand, having kicked off the association with its “Boond Boond Mein Vishwas” campaign.
As part of the agreement, Dhoni also became a brand ambassador for the company, appearing in its marketing and promotional campaigns.
Most recently, Garuda received an order from the country’s Ministry of Defence for 33 anti-drone frameworks.
Tile and stone installation firm MYK Laticrete roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in December 2022. Based out of Hyderabad, MYK Laticrete has five manufacturing plants across India and 28 regional offices, with plans to open new plants in Gujarat and West Bengal soon.
As brand ambassador, Dhoni headlines the firm’s integrated marketing campaign to promote its products across the country.
Financial services firm Navi roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in November 2022. The very first ad campaign run by Navi featuring Dhoni was aired during India’s semi-final match against England in the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Disney+ Hotstar.
Indian wearable and audio brand Fire-Boltt roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in November 2022.
As a face of the brand, Dhoni has been a part of various marketing campaigns while also taking part in a host of advertising and endorsement activities.
InsurTech platform Turtlemint announced Dhoni as a brand ambassador in February 2022.
With Dhoni on board, Turtlemint hoped to educate the masses about the importance of insurance and turning passive consumers into active ones via the #ActiveHoJaao campaign, an initiative aimed at highlighting the importance of health and why it shouldn’t be neglected.
One of south India’s largest and most experienced land aggregators and plot promoters, G Square Housing announced MS Dhoni as a brand ambassador in February 2022.
The partnership aligns with the company’s vision of growing pan-India, and the Chennai-based firm hopes to capitalise on Dhoni’s global brand image to grow not only in south India but across the entire country.
Dhoni has been a brand ambassador of ITC’s noodles and pasta brand Sunfeast YiPPee! since 2021. The partnership sees Dhoni star in various ad campaigns promoting YiPPee! products
Diagnostics laboratory chain Neuberg Diagnostics roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in August 2021.
Dhoni collaborates with Neuberg Diagnostics to promote its wellness campaigns and educate the public about the brand’s affordable and high-quality healthcare solutions. He promotes the brand not only in India but in the foreign markets as well, covering the UAE, South Africa and the USA.
Bengaluru-based online education technology company Unacademy roped in MS Dhoni as a brand ambassador in August 2021 on a two-year deal.
As per the deal, Dhoni can be seen on a number of commercials released by the company.
Dhoni became HomeLane’s first-ever brand ambassador and the first celebrity to promote a dedicated home interiors company when he announced a three-year strategic collaboration with HomeLane as an equity partner and brand ambassador in August 2021.
With Dhoni on board, HomeLane intends to add 25 additional Tier II and Tier III cities over the next two years, with a market budget of ?100 crore to support this rapid growth.
Mondel?z, an American multinational confectionery, food, beverage and snacks company, featured Dhoni and his daughter Ziva in an advertisement for its Cadbury Oreo biscuits brand in February 2022. Dhoni has since featured in other Oreo ad campaigns as well.
In April 2021, Dhoni became an endorser of artisanal chocolates by 7Ink Brews, of which he is also a shareholder.
The company has since also launched a range of chocolates and beverages under the brand name “Copter7”, which is a nod to Dhoni’s iconic helicopter shot and his favourite jersey number.
In August 2021, ahead of the second-leg of the 2021 IPL campaign, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, a leading healthcare chain in Tamil Nadu, roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador.
Speaking about his association with Kauvery Group of Hospitals, Dhoni said, “Kauvery Group of Hospitals has been offering exemplary medical services over 2 decades, with paramount focus on patient care and satisfaction. I am glad to be associated with one of the most trusted and reputed healthcare brands.”
Dhoni collaborated with the Chinese smartphone maker in September 2020. He promoted the #BeTheInfinite campaign. Oppo also released the Oppo Reno 4 Pro Galactic Blue Edition, which is a special-edition Dhoni-themed smartphone with his signature on it.
Coca-Cola launched Powerade, a sports beverage delivering quick hydration that is especially targeted at athletes and fitness enthusiasts, in June 2019. Dhoni was later roped in as a Powerade brand ambassador ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, of which it was the Official Sports Drink.
Weeks ahead of IPL 2020, Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for PokerStars, one of the leading online poker platforms, for India. He starred in its “I’m in“ campaign, which celebrated the attitude of PokerStars and its players.
In July 2020, Gurugram-based used car marketplace CARS24 announced a strategic partnership with Dhoni in a move to strengthen its brand.
As part of the partnership, Dhoni owns equity in CARS24 while also serving as a brand ambassador. His investment, the quantum of which was not disclosed, was part of the Series D round of funding.
Indian menswear brand Indian Terrain roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in May 2019. Bollywood actors Kunal Kapoor and Randeep Hooda have also been associated with the brand in the past.
Speaking on his association with Indian Terrain, Dhoni said, “I am extremely delighted to be the brand ambassador of Indian Terrain. It is a well-known fact that Madras and its people hold a special place in my life, for the love and acceptance that has been bestowed on me over the years. To associate with a Madras-born brand like Indian Terrain felt natural and appealing.”
Dhoni was named brand ambassador of bus-ticket-booking company redBus in April 2019. In his first redBus ad campaign, Dhoni could be seen portraying the role of a hockey player named Balbir Singh.
In March 2019, toothpaste brand Colgate released a couple of TVCs featuring Dhoni. One of the adverts also featured his wife, Sakshi. Colgate-Palmolive later rolled out an extension of its “Andar se Strong” campaign.
The official watch supplier to the Italian navy during the World Wars, luxury watch brand Panerai partnered with MS Dhoni in December 2018.
In 2019, the company honoured Dhoni with a two-piece limited-edition capsule dedicated to his indomitable spirit. Maintaining its timeless and signature design, Panerai unveiled the Luminor GMT and Luminor Chrono Flyback editions — both stemming out of the cricketer’s passion for high-performance watches.
LivFast, a part of conglomerate business line SAR Group and one of the leading power specialists in India with a widespread portfolio of power backup solutions, roped in Dhoni in 2018 as a brand ambassador.
To further its message and product line to end consumers, LivFast came up with a marketing campaign called “Faster hai to hai“, which comprised three narratives to illustrate its product’s strengths and unique selling points.
Pune-based decorative paint maker Indigo Paints brought in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in 2018. Dhoni featured in all marketing and promoting campaigns for the company, which proposed that it would spend close to ?240 crore on advertising over a three-year period.
Domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy launched an ad campaign with Dhoni in December 2018. Later, GoDaddy launched a new integrated marketing campaign aimed at encouraging small local businesses in the country to create an online presence for their business. In these TVCs, Dhoni, as the perfect “Bijness Bhai”, could be seen encouraging small local businesses to “make in India and sell in full India” by building a website with GoDaddy’s online tools and solutions.
In November 2018, online matrimony service provider Bharat Matrimony appointed Dhoni as a brand ambassador.
Commenting on Dhoni’s onboarding, the chief executive officer of BharatMatrimony.com, Murugavel Janakiraman, said, “We are proud to be associated with Dhoni. Also, we feel good because Dhoni is an inspiration to millions of youth as he has achieved a lot for the country through his leadership qualities.”
In September 2018, Dhoni became a Mastercard brand ambassador for India. With an initiative titled “Team Cashless India”, Mastercard sought to bring consumers and merchants to the forefront of the digital payments dialogue. The initiative was in line with the company’s endeavour to create an ecosystem that encouraged people to use digital payments for their day-to-day purchases.
Sumadhura Group, one of south India’s top realtors, roped in MS Dhoni in August 2018 as a brand ambassador. The Group also launched an ad campaign titled #HomesYouDontWantToLeave which featured Dhoni.
In 2018, Mars International India Pvt Ltd, the local arm of American chocolate giant Mars Inc, announced the signing of Dhoni as a brand ambassador for Snickers.
Staying true to Snickers’ tagline, “You are not you when you’re hungry” (“hunger ache achho ko badal deta hai“), Dhoni could be seen in Snickers ad campaigns sporting a medieval war suit and asking his fellow cricketers to take a pledge to beat the opposition. Despite one of the players arguing that it was a “friendly match”, Dhoni would cry for revenge, the moral of this hilarious commercial being: “when hungry, even Captain Cool loses his cool”.
CK Birla Group Orient fans roped in MS Dhoni in 2006 as a brand ambassador on a multi-year deal. On the company’s proposed advertising campaign featuring Dhoni, a company official said at the time, “We have signed up Dhoni for a period of two years and the advertising budget for the first phase is ?6 crore.”
More recently, Dhoni was seen in Orient Electric’s Aeroslim fan ad. The TVC shows Dhoni controlling the Aeroslim fan through Orient Smart mobile app followed by the key message: “Aeroslim – worth turning the world upside down”.
Online pharmacy Netmeds announced in May 2018 that it had appointed Dhoni as a brand ambassador. Speaking on the association, Dhoni said, “I really believe in Netmeds and what they are doing. Making important medicine more available and affordable is a great thing for the country, and Netmeds is one of the mainstays in this space.”
In 2018, Dhoni became a brand ambassador for SoundLogic.
In 2018, Dhoni signed a reported ?15-crore, three-year endorsement deal with German cybersecurity company WardWiz.
WardWiz provides security to personal computers and mobiles. Abhijeet Khoj, CEO of WardWiz, said that Dhoni was the ideal person to endorse the brand as he had the same “missionary zeal”.
2018 saw all of India’s World Cup-winning captains share the stage for the first time in an ad commercial as Dhoni and Kapil Dev starred in an ad for Kolkata-based steel manufacturer SRMB Steel.
Dhoni signed for Indian tech company Lava as a brand ambassador in 2016. He became the face of Lava’s multi-channel marketing campaign as well as brand engagement activities, as the company aimed for strengthening its brand locally.
In 2012, Dhoni launched a chain of gyms by the name of SportsFit World. He is both a leader and an ambassador of the brand.
In one of the fist-of-its-kind ventures for any sportsperson in the country, Dhoni started SportsFit World Pvt Ltd with an aim to open around 200 gyms across the country over the next five years.
Seven is also a Dhoni-owned brand. It was launched in February 2016 and deals in casual and sportswear clothing.
Spread across various fitness categories of running, training and lifestyle sport, Seven’s collection encompasses a wide range of running and training footwear, apparel and accessories for both men and women.
In 2017, incense stick brand Zed Black roped in Dhoni as a national brand ambassador. Reports at the time suggested that MDPH (Mysore Deep Perfumery House) was targeting to grab a major share in the ?6,000-crore incense stick market and believed the two-time World Cup-winning captain would be the perfect fit to promote its products.
Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for Gulf Oil India in September 2011. A Hinduja Group-owned company that manufactures lubricants, Gulf Oil was already linked with MS Dhoni after becoming the official partner of the Chennai Super Kings.
India’s biggest fantasy sports platform Dream11 launched multiple ads with MS Dhoni before IPL 2018.
Speaking about his association with Dream11, Dhoni said at the time, “I am delighted to associate with Dream11 – because it gives millions of sports fans an opportunity to be the decision maker, create their own team and experience the game first-hand. The Dream11 platform perfectly defines the importance of choosing the right players and building a team as per the playing conditions.”
In February 2012, Reebok India launched a campaign titled #This1isForMe with MS Dhoni, through which the cricketer asked people to exercise for one hour every day. Dhoni was also part of other Reebok campaigns, working on projects like Reebok ZigZag.
In 2016, Dhoni was made a brand ambassador and featured in an Exide Life Insurance campaign titled “Lamba saath, bharose ki baat“.
“This is my first endorsement deal in the insurance category. Long term relationships build trust and I have always planned for the long term in all aspects of my life. Exide Life Insurance is a brand that resonates well with me and I look forward to working with them very closely,” said Dhoni.
In 2005, Dhoni was roped in by PepsiCo to endorse Pepsi and Lay’s. In this decade-long association with PepsiCo, “Oh Yes Abhi” and “Change The Game” have been among some of the biggest campaigns featuring Dhoni. However, after 11 years with the company, Dhoni was let go as PepsiCo roped in Virat Kohli as its new face in 2016.
Dhoni did multiple TVCs for Boost, HUL’s health food drink brand, in 2017.
Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for his home state of Jharkhand in 2016. The JCSA stadium in Ranchi also has the Dhoni Pavilion named after the former Indian cricket captain. However, the 40-year-old refused to inaugurate the pavilion back in 2017, stating: “Dada apne hi ghar me kya inaugurate karna…”.
In 2013, Dhoni signed a bat deal with Amity University. According to the contract, Dhoni used the Amity logo on the lower half of his bat.
However, this deal wasn’t done in isolation. In fact, the then-Indian captain had signed two bat sponsorship deals simultaneously: one with Amity University and the other one with Spartan Sports.
Spartan Sports is an Australian firm that manufactures sports equipment. Similar to Amity, Dhoni’s Spartan Sports deal required him to put the brand’s logo on his bat.
In 2009, now-defunct Indian mobile operator Aircel had Dhoni as its brand ambassador and ran several TVCs featuring him. Dhoni was a long-term face of Aircel owing to the fact that Aircel served as the principal shirt sponsor to the Chennai Super Kings in the early years of the Indian Premier League.
In 2005, Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador by TVS. He especially endorsed the Star City motorcycles manufactured by TVS in those days.
In recent years, Dhoni has been actively promoting various TVS brands, either as an individual or on behalf of the CSK, who also have a partnership agreement in place with the company.
In 2006, Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for Videocon in a deal reportedly worth ?40 lakh. He was cast alongside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Talking about the deal, Venugopal Dhoot, Chairman, Videocon Group, said at the time, “Dhoni represents the new face of India. He is young, confident and an emerging star in the international arena, which is very similar to Videocon’s emergence as the first Indian multinational in the category of consumer electronics and home appliances.”
Back in 2006, Dhoni was not only the new darling of the cricketing fraternity but several companies too. Being the No. 1-ranked batter in the ICC ODI Rankings at the time, Dhoni had the world at his feet, and watchmaker Sonata did not wait long to associate itself with Indian cricket’s then-hottest property.
Please note that Sonata and Titan belong to the same parent company, Tata Group.
During the early 2010s, Dhoni was seen in various TVCs of this stationery brand. However, just a couple of years into the association, Cello became one of the five brands to end their partnership with MS Dhoni in 2012. Some brands could no longer afford him, while for others he became even bigger than the brands themselves. So, companies like Dainik Bhaskar and Cello had to pull out.
In 2006, Siyaram’s ventured into men’s garments segments, offering everything between office wear and Sunday casuals. The company roped in the then-youth icon and rising star of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, as an ambassador. This campaign was part of the company’s ?160-crore expansion project.
Dhoni did not directly advertise India Cements, although he was appointed Vice President of The India Cements Ltd in 2013, which created quite the kerfuffle in Indian cricket’s political landscape. The employment meant Dhoni’s basic pay was ?43,000 per month, while he also took home a fixed dearness allowance of ?21,970 per month, a special pay of ?20,000 on a monthly basis and a further special allowance of ?60,000 per month.
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