Chennai Super Kings superstar and two-time World Cup-winning former India captain MS Dhoni has a farm in his hometown Ranchi.
From motorbikes to farming, from real money gaming to noodles, MS Dhoni's interests in life are wide-ranging. The former Indian cricket captain, who continues to show his hunger for cricket while playing in the Indian Premier League this season, has shown another 'healthy' side of his life as a businessman. (IPL Full Coverage)
The 40-year-old MS Dhoni, among the largest earners in the world of sports, has ordered a special breed of chicks from Madhya Pradesh. Dhoni is a fitness freak and even ran his own chain of gymnasiums. He continues to inspire the younger generation by playing franchise cricket for Chennai Super Kings.
On Thursday, Dhoni hit 16 runs off the last four balls as Chennai Super Kings recorded a narrow three-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022.
Known for his pugnacious hitting style, Dhoni took the game deep into the final over before smashing left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat for 6-4-2-4 and carried CSK to 156 for 77 with his unbeaten match-winning knock of 28 off 13 balls. MI crashed to an unprecedented seventh straight loss in IPL.
Dhoni has continued to hog the headlines with that match-winning show. New CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja said Dhoni continued to be a massive force for Chennai and his calmness keeps the team going under pressure.
According to reports, MS Dhoni is ranked fifth in 2021 with an increase of 69 per cent in his brand value to USD 61.2 million (about 468 crores). His attraction as a brand endorser is no less than a Virat Kohli or a Ranveer Singh. Dhoni's foray into organic farming and breeding protein-rich chicken is a new facet of his career.
According to PTI, a cooperative based in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh has sent 2,000 chicks of the famous protein-rich 'Kadaknath' breed to a farm at Ranchi, following an order placed by Dhoni.
The black 'Kadaknath' chicken meat from Jhabua district of MP got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2018 after a legal battle with Chhattisgarh. The tag denotes that the product comes from a particular geographical area, and often enhances its commercial value. This chicken, its eggs and meat are sold at a higher rate than the other breeds.
Jhabua Collector Somesh Mishra told PTI that 2,000 'Kadaknath' chicks ordered by Dhoni from a local cooperative were on Friday sent in a vehicle to Ranchi, the cricketer's hometown.
"It is a welcome step that a popular personality like Dhoni has shown interest in the Kadaknath chicken variety. Anyone can order these hatchlings through the online mode, which will benefit tribal people (breeding this chicken) in the district," Mishra said.
Jhabua's Krishi Vigyan Kendra chief Dr IS Tomar said Dhoni had placed the order sometime back, but the chicks could not be supplied that time due to the outbreak of bird flu.