MS Dhoni with two different bats in India’s World Cup match against EnglandMS Dhoni has been doing something unusual during this World Cup – he has been playing with bats bearing stickers of many different brands. While most fans associate Dhoni with his ‘Reebok bat’, he has been seen playing with at least three different bat stickers in the ongoing tournament.
In the last two matches – vs England and then vs Bangladesh – Dhoni was seen coming in to bat with a bat bearing the SG logo. In the later parts of his innings, when more aggressive shots were the order of the day, he was seen calling for a bat with the BAS logo.
MS Dhoni’s gear before the England match (Twitter)Dhoni’s manager, Arun Pandey, told Mumbai Mirror, “It’s a fact that he has been using different bats with different brandings, but he is not charging them. He wants to say thanks to them for helping in various stages of his career.”
“Dhoni has a big heart. He does not need money, he has enough of it, he is using those bats as a goodwill gesture. BAS was with him from the beginning and SG also was very helpful to him,” he said.
Normally, top cricketers are known to charge bat sponsors somewhere between Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore annually. Dhoni currently does not have a bat sponsor, with his deal with Australia-based Spartan Sports having run into legal trouble.
Many fans have taken this gesture by Dhoni as a sign that he is soon to announce his retirement from the India team. There were similar speculations when Dhoni had asked for the ball from the umpires after a recent match.
