(From left) Dhoni's manager Arun Pandey, Sahara communications head Abhijit Sarkar, MS Dhoni, Hockey India president Narinder Batra and CEO Elena Norman in Ranchi on Saturday. (From left) Dhoni's manager Arun Pandey, Sahara communications head Abhijit Sarkar, MS Dhoni, Hockey India president Narinder Batra and CEO Elena Norman in Ranchi on Saturday.

In any conversation about the smartest cricketing brains in the world, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is often placed right at the top. His on-field decision-making prowess and deep understanding of the game has brought India a lot of success across all three formats of international cricket, and has made his Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings the most successful team by a distance.

It has also brought him amazing riches, with Forbes recently ranking him fifth on its World's Most Valuable Athlete Brands list with a value of $20million (approximately Rs 122 crore)among international mega stars like basketball player LeBron James, golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Dhoni is also the only Indian on Forbes's list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes, coming in at the 22nd spot with total earnings of $30million (approximately Rs 183 crore).

Dhoni rides a bike during the Bike Festival of India at the Buddh International Circuit earlier this month. Dhoni rides a bike during the Bike Festival of India at the Buddh International Circuit earlier this month.

But Dhoni is not a one-trick pony. Cricket might be his bread and butter, but he is a trendsetter in following his passions like motorbikes, shooting and other sports, and investing money and energy in business ventures that will be his life after cricket.

His latest venture is a Hockey India League franchise named Ranchi Rays that was unveiled in his home city on Saturday. Dhoni has partnered with the Sahara India Pariwar to replace the now defunct Ranchi Rhinos franchise in the league.

"It is a special day for me, the reason being today I became associated with hockey to own the Ranchi team. It is a real pleasure to be associated with hockey. My first and foremost responsibility is to play cricket, but being a sportsperson my natural inclination is to promote sports," he said at the team launch in Ranchi.

Dhoni will be the principal owner of the franchise, while Sahara, which already owns the Uttar Pradesh Wizards franchise based in Lucknow, are co-owners and will provide the logistical support.

DIVERSIFICATION

This follows Dhoni's forays into team ownership in international motorcycle racing and the Indian Super League football tournament. Mahi Racing Team India participates in the penultimate level of superbike racing, the Supersport FIM World Championship, while Chennaiyin FC, which Dhoni co-owns with Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, among others, has got off to a good start in the ISL.

The professional life of a sportsman is very short, and planning for life after retirement is often a minefield. Not everyone can be a Sachin Tendulkar, who has earned bucketfuls of money during his long international career and continues to pull advertisers even after walking into the sunset.

Dhoni seems to have realised that very early on, and has used his acumen to secure his future off the field. The day he decides to walk into the sunset, Dhoni will have enough to do - whether it is managing these sports franchises or his own chain of gymnasiums 'Sportsfit', the world is his oyster.

Dhoni plays football at the Ferozeshah Kotla nets before the second ODI against West Indies in New Delhi. Dhoni plays football at the Ferozeshah Kotla nets before the second ODI against West Indies in New Delhi.

But in addition to the business aspect of Brand MSD, there is also the aspect of giving back to sports. One man who has been associated with Dhoni since before he became a cricketing demigod is Arun Pandey, his friend, manager and business partner. Pandey, who runs Rhiti Sports Management, which manages Dhoni, Suresh Raina and many other cricketers and Australian swimming queen Stephanie Rice, says this is the aspect that excites Dhoni the most.

"Dhoni has supported every sport and hockey is another sport which is close to Mahi's heart. When this opportunity came, Mahi quickly accepted it as he always wants to do something for his state and country. This is indeed a way to uplift hockey in his state. We have long-term plans to uplift hockey at grassroot level," Pandey said.

It's not exactly accidental that Dhoni chose the Chennai ISL franchise to buy a stake in. He is, after all, treated like a local boy in Chennai owing to the success the city has tasted with the Super Kings franchise with him at the helm of affairs.

Even if a percentage of Dhoni fans start watching football because of his stake in Chennaiyin FC, it would be a great way to give back to the world of sports, and especially a game like football that is close to his heart. Dhoni started out as a goalkeeper in football before switching to cricket as a youth, and he's a big fan of the English Premier League club Manchester United.

Ditto for hockey, especially in his home state, Jharkhand, which continues to love the game even as it has faded from other traditional regions.

There have been a lot of legendary sportsmen who have gone on to successful post-sports careers, and Dhoni looks certain to join that list. For now, though, he's fast becoming the uncrowned czar of Indian sports, and a man who can actually transcend the bitterness with which other sports look at cricket.