The 5 darkest phases of MS Dhoni's career

#3 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal

MS Dhoni in the IPL

It all started with the Delhi police arresting S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan on charges of spot-fixing. However, things started going downhill when Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on charges of betting, conspiracy and cheating by the Mumbai Police.

Many fingers were also pointed at the team management and MS Dhoni, though these rumors never took off. Chennai Super Kings were subsequently suspended from the IPL for two years by the Supreme Court appointed RM Lodha committee.

Dhoni was bought by the Rising Pune Supergiant and played the next two seasons with them. Chennai Super Kings made a return to the IPL in 2018, winning their third IPL trophy that season.

#2 Conflict of interest

MS Dhoni at a press conference

In the year 2015, the BCCI initiated a probe into MS Dhoni's alleged involvement in Rhiti Sports Management, a company in which he was rumored to have a 15 percent stake. It was a company that managed the interests of Dhoni and his Chennai Super Kings teammates Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, to name a few.

Dhoni was lambasted by several former cricketers for having a stake in the company. Later the firm cleared the air on the controversy by stating that Dhoni previously owned shares in the company which he did not have at the time of the dispute.

The documents that later went public indicated that there had been a conflict of interest as far as Dhoni’s involvement with Rhiti Sports was concerned. Though this issue did not lead to any ill effects, it was nevertheless a bitter controversy that was harshly criticized by former Indian cricketers.

#1 The aftermath of the 2019 ICC World Cup

India v New Zealand - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Semi-Final

Dhoni has most recently come under fire for not performing up to the mark in ODIs. The cricketer once revered for his ability to finish off games consistently failed to get the team over the line in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

After India's shock defeat in the semi-finals at the hands of New Zealand, many fans openly hurled abuses directed at Dhoni on social media. Many media outlets and TV analysts also started showing farewell montages on TV, even before Dhoni had announced anything himself.

On the flip side, many prominent celebrities and cricketers urged Dhoni not to retire. The Indian cricket team and the management committed mistakes on many counts, as Dhoni should have been sent to bat when the team was already down three wickets. Instead, they waited until things got out of hand.

Dhoni with the help of Ravindra Jadeja batted valiantly as they put on a partnership north of 100 runs. But in the end, the effort was just not enough as the team fell short by a few runs.