A narrative of the mind

Brand Dhoni goes beyond the field

Sports commentator Harsha Bhogle, speaking to Cricbuzz recently, revealed that he teased Mahendra Singh Dhoni before the final match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 about the exact question he was going to ask during the post-match presentation later. Dhoni’s reply was: “My answer is ready.” The former India skipper’s answer in the presentation, just the right shade of ambiguous, left his fans torn between jubilation and doubt, as he stopped short of a full confirmation on his return. There’s no doubt, though, about what his fans want. As Dhoni returned to full-time captaincy of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and amid rumours of his impending retirement, the fan frenzy reached an all-time high this IPL season. A sea of canary yellow greeted the CSK captain wherever he went. Stadia erupted in jubilant roars every time his face showed up on the jumbotron. Every stumping and every run scored brought tears of joy to the CSK brigade. Fans slept at the Ahmedabad railway station when the final match between CSK and Gujarat Titans was postponed by a day. That Chennai makkal have truly accepted the Ranchi boy as their thalai is now well-established. Sunil Gavaskar’s quick on-camera run to get his shirt autographed by Dhoni also confirmed that even legends are his fans.

With the fan verdict writ large in the burgeoning crowds attending CSK’s IPL fixtures, most brands endorsed by Dhoni have declared they will retain him as a star endorser, regardless of whether he continues to play. The cricketer endorses 30 brands, including Mastercard, Oreo, Jio Cinema, Gulf Oil, Unacademy, Bharat Matrimony, and Dream11. His Instagram follower count is over 43 million. Dhoni’s connection with his fans and his vast brand empire both stem from the silt of off-field narratives and yarns that envelop his on-field legend. There are stories of how the door to his hotel room stays open at all times, welcoming players and fans alike. There’s also his witty chatter caught on the stump mic, and the YouTube videos of Dhoni goofing around with the young children of his CSK teammates. Woven into the legend of dependence and reliability that “Dhoni Referral System” evokes is a fine filigree of anecdotes shared by seniors and teammates affirming how calm and collected “Captain Cool” really is. Dhoni’s “My answer is ready” to Bhogle’s tease, is also a part of this silt of narratives. 

Sports brands, after all, though born rooted in players’ on-field performance, are hardly ever limited by it. Major sports brands across the world — be it Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, or Sachin Tendulkar — have clinched their first deals on the back of their performance, but retained their brand values on the strength of the narratives they have inspired. And, in a world of aggressive, fiery sports heroes goading their fans and consumers to “do or die”, “never stop” or “test your limits”, Dhoni’s array of narratives is a much-needed assurance of dependability and relatability. His brand is neither built on the sheer force of physical strength nor on the promise of testing limits. Brand Dhoni is a narrative about the cricketing mind, and thus beyond the physical game itself. So, from endorsement of lead-free pipes to mutual funds, and from investment in fintech start-ups to e-commerce platforms, it is this narrative that brands are likely to cash in on for quite some time after Dhoni has retired.