MS Dhoni sues his former business partners.
Former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has filed a criminal complaint against his former business partners in a sports firm, claiming they defrauded him of more than Rs 15 crore by not honouring a contract, his lawyer said. The complaint has been filed against Mihir Diwakar and Soumya Vishwas of Aarka Sports and Management Limited in Ranchi court regarding a 2017 business deal.
Mr Diwakar had reportedly signed a deal with Mr Dhoni in 2017 to open cricket academies in India and abroad in the cricketer's name. But, he allegedly did not stick to the conditions mentioned in the agreement, as per the complaint.
Aarka Sports was liable to pay the franchise fee and share profits in the ratio mentioned in the agreement, but all the terms and conditions were violated, it said. The partners began setting up academies without Mr Dhoni's knowledge and did not make any payments. The authority letter provided to them was revoked on August 15, 2021, he added.
Despite this, they continued setting up cricket academies and sport complexes in Dhoni's name without sharing any amount or information with him, according to his lawyer Dayanand Singh.
Mr Dhoni, through his lawyer, has claimed that the firm violated the agreement norms, due to which he lost more than Rs 15 crore.
The website of the sports firm, which has a huge photo of MS Dhoni as its cover image, claims it specialises in athlete and player management and also provides "top class consultancy".
Mr Diwakar is the managing editor of the company, as per the website which also says that Mr Dhoni is a mentor in the firm.