Dhoni won’t charge any fee for being mentor of Indian team, says Ganguly

The tournament is scheduled to begin on October 17 with the qualifying rounds. India kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24.

Former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not charge any fee for mentoring the Indian cricket team during this month’s T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly told PTI on Tuesday.

The iconic former captain was brought in as mentor by the BCCI last month when it announced the squad for the mega-event, scheduled to start October 17.

“Dhoni will not charge anything to mentor the Indian team,” Ganguly said.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday also said that MS Dhoni will not be charging any honorarium for his services when he joins the Indian team as a mentor for the T20 World Cup.

“MS Dhoni is not charging any honorarium for his services as the mentor of Indian team for the T20 World Cup,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said to ANI.

Dhoni, who leads Chennai Super Kings, is a three-time IPL-winning captain and has brought home three major ICC trophies — World T20, Champions Trophy and World Cup.

Jay Shah had said the decision to call up the 40-year-old retired international and the country’s most-celebrated white-ball cricketer was taken after he met Dhoni in Dubai, where IPL teams had started converging to complete the unfinished Covid-hit Season 12.

“He was okay with my decision and agreed to be a Team Mentor of Team India for the T20 World Cup only. I am glad that MS (Dhoni) has accepted the BCCI’s offer and he is keen to contribute to the national team once again. MS will work closely with Ravi Shastri as well as other support staff to provide support and direction to Team India,” Shah had said.

Asked if Kohli and Shastri were consulted, Shah had said: “I spoke to the captain and vice-captain, as well as Ravi Shastri. They all are on the same page, so that’s why this matter has reached this conclusion.”

The T20 World Cup will take place in UAE and Oman in a total of 4 venues — Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on October 17 with the qualifying rounds. India kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24.

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