MS Dhoni Parents: Who are Pan Singh Dhoni and Devaki Devi?
Matthew Wilson
Updated on January 02, 2026
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian former international cricketer who was captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014.
He led India to three ICC trophies (2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy), the most for any Indian captain.
He is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman; as a batsman, he was most successful in limited-overs cricket, scoring over 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals, with a reputation as one of the best finishers in the game.
Dhoni made his ODI debut on 23 December 2004, against Bangladesh in Chittagong, and played his first Test a year later against Sri Lanka.
He announced his retirement from Test format on 30 December 2014 and stepped down as captain of T20Is and ODIs in 2017. On 15 August 2020, Dhoni retired from all formats of international cricket and continues to play in the IPL.
MS Dhoni Parents: Who are Pan Singh Dhoni and Devaki Devi?
Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) and hails from a Hindu Rajput family with roots in Uttarakhand.
He is the youngest of three children of Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. His paternal village Lwali, is in Jainti Tehsil, Lamgara block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand.
His parents moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi, Jharkhand where his father worked as a pump operator in a junior management position in MECON Colony situated in Doranda area in Ranchi. Unlike Dhoni, his uncle and cousins spell their surname as Dhauni.
Previously Dhoni was the goalkeeper for his DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir school’s football team, but after seeing his goalkeeping skills, coach Keshav Ranjan Banerjee, one who inspired Dhoni to be a cricketer, picked him to play cricket for his school team.
His exceptional wicketkeeping skills allowed him to become the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando Cricket Club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship, where he performed well.
