CSK denies Dhoni sought larger stake, confirms he owns shares

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has officially denied reports that former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sought to acquire a larger stake in the Indian Premier League franchise, while confirming he privately owns a small number of shares. The franchise's denial comes amid speculation about Dhoni's ownership intentions and as the team prepares to decide on a new head coach. A senior CSK official stated that Dhoni has never approached the franchise about increasing his ownership. "MS has never asked us about it. We never discussed the matter. We also don't have any information about him having discussed this with Mr N Srinivasan either," the official said, referring to the franchise's controlling owner. Despite the denial, reports indicate Dhoni holds more than one lakh shares in the unlisted company, acquired through private, off-market transactions. His holding represents a fraction of the franchise's total equity, estimated at roughly 0.01% to 0.02%. The Srinivasan family maintains a controlling stake of more than 55%, while public shareholders own over 30 crore shares, accounting for nearly 40% of the total.