Legendary India captain has won the internet again, as he appeared in a new avatar on Christmas Day. With MS Dhoni having left international cricket for over five years now, he is often seen spending a lot of time with his family. In an Instagram post shared by his wife Sakshi Dhoni, the former India captain can be seen disguised in a Santa Claus outfit, alongside her and their daughter Ziva. The post has sent the internet into a frenzy, gathering over 500,000 likes within just two hours of being posted.

Despite quitting international cricket, Dhoni remains arguably India’s most popular sports icon, with a massive fanbase. Therefore, glimpses of the legendary captain send fans into a frenzy, be it his Santa Claus persona or a new hairstyle.

In spite of a fully covered outfit, the fact that it is Dhoni underneath the Santa Clause avatar is easily recognizable as he’s seen wearing a hat with his nickname ‘Mahi’ on top.

MS Dhoni: IPL 2025

The only cricket that Dhoni plays nowadays is the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he represents Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He will once again don the CSK yellow in 2025, after being retained by the franchise for the upcoming season.

Dhoni was retained for just Rs 4 crore by CSK, after the re-introduction of a rule that allows Indian players who have not played internationally for five years or more to be retained as uncapped players.

Dhoni and pacer Sandeep Sharma benefitted from this rule, being retained by their respective franchises.

However, the five-time IPL-winning captain does not lead his franchise any longer, having handed the reigns to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. The latter was also the joint-highest retention by CSK, along with Ravindra Jadeja, at Rs 18 cr.

At the auction, CSK made some of the best value purchases, such as getting back New Zealand batters Devon Conway (Rs 6.5 cr) and Rachin Ravindra (Rs 4 cr) at relatively low-cost deals.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, will also represent CSK again in IPL 2025.