Somi Kohli, the owner of ‘Beat All Sports’ (BAS) company, has made a never-heard-before revelation about MS Dhoni, which further highlighted Dhoni’s greatness as a human being, and how the Ranchi-born remembers those who helped him during his struggling period initially.
In 1998, when no other sponsor was ready to support and take a punt on a lesser-known youngster from Ranchi, it was Somi Kohli, the owner of BAS company, who provided Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his first cricket kit.
Somi has now revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to him ahead of the 2019 World Cup and asked for stickers to put on his bat. He was left astonished when Dhoni asked him not to pay anything. While high-profile cricketers like MS Dhoni charge between 5-15 crore for their bat sticker sponsor, the Ranchi-born was ready to advertise BAS for free. This was his way of thanking Somi Kohli for supporting him when he was not a big star.
Somi said he even asked MS Dhoni’s wife, Sakshi, and his accountant to insist Dhoni to take money, but the wicket-keeper refused to.
“Dhoni did not mention any money. He just said ‘put your stickers on my bats and send them across’. I tried to convince him, ‘You’re letting go of such a lucrative contract’. He let go crores of rupees worth of contract. I requested his wife Sakshi, his father, mother. Even told his CA and Paramjit from Ranchi. They all went to his home before the World Cup. But he said ‘No… it is my decision’,” Somi Kohli said in a video going viral on Twitter.
Watch: BAS company owner makes revelation about the heart-warming gesture by MS Dhoni
![[Video] MS Dhoni Let Go Crores In 2019 WC To Return Favor To BAS For Sponsoring His First Cricket Kit](https://thecricketlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MS-Dhoni-40.webp)
MS Dhoni didn’t take single rupee to promote BAS in 2019 WC. I requested him a lot but he didn’t.
– Somi Kohli BAS owner pic.twitter.com/26bSFaFqca
— ` (@WorshipDhoni) February 14, 2024
It took six years since their first association for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to make his India debut, and he never looked back in his career, but always remembers the people who helped him when he was nobody. Dhoni hit his maiden ODI century, against Pakistan, with the BAS sticker on his bat.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni now is preparing for his much-awaited comeback in the IPL as CSK aims to defend their title. The IPL 2024 is likely to be Dhoni’s last season.
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