Reports: MS Dhoni holds over one lakh CSK shares acquired through off-market deals

By MagnetGuy

**Dhoni's CSK Equity Play: The Numbers Behind the Rumours** Let's cut through the noise on the Dhoni-CSK ownership story, because the market signals are being misread. Per reports, Dhoni holds 1 lakh+ CSK shares acquired via private offmarket deals—not a single announced transaction. Note the scale here: public float sits at 30 crore+ shares (~40% of total equity), while the Srinivasan family retains a controlling 55%+. His stake is a rounding error in the broader cap table. At the last indicative valuation above Rs 16,600 cr, his holding lands at roughly Rs 2.6–3 cr. Small position, big name. **The Negotiation Trail (Verbal Only)** Cricbuzz paints a clear picture of the talk: Dhoni opened seeking 25%, CSK countered at 3%, then 4%, then 5.5%. He stepped down to 20%, then 18%. No bridge. Key detail—every exchange was verbal, zero paperwork, no formal term sheet from either side. In my world, that's not a deal; it's a conversation. **Official Denial** CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan went public on Aug 30 to shut it down: "MS has never asked us about it. We never discussed the matter... no info on him discussing with Mr N Srinivasan either." Clean, on-record denial. **What Actually Matters** The headline story everyone's missing: CSK is set to meet ~Sept 22 (Dhoni's back from the US) to finalise a new head coach. An overseas candidate is named—but reportedly in parallel talks with another IPL side. That's the real alpha here. Bottom line: ownership story is dead in the water; coaching decision is the live catalyst. *Not financial advice. Just reading the tape.* Source: Crictracker