Fact Check: No, Dhoni has not converted to Buddhism
An image of former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wearing a monk's robe has gone viral on social media....
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 March 2021 5:52 AM GMT
Hyderabad: An image of former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wearing a monk's robe has gone viral on social media with the claim that he has converted to Buddhism.
The claim, upon translation, reads, "World Cup winning, former Indian cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has converted to Buddhism."
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Fact Check:
NewsMeter found that the claim is FALSE and Dhoni has not converted to Buddhism.
We performed a reverse image search and found a video on Twitter by Star Sports India dated 14 March 2021. It states that this look was part of an ad-campaign for IPL 2021
This was also reported by News 18 and Times Now. The title of the News 18 report reads, "MS Dhoni's Shaved Head Monk Avatar Ad for IPL 2021."
The Times Now report states, "The mystery surrounding MS Dhoni's new monk look ended today as Star Sports released the ad featuring former India captain for IPL 2021. Dhoni, who will be leading Chennai Super Kings in the season, can be seen as a guru for the students, who are keen to know if Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will score a hat-trick of IPL title victories."
India Today, meanwhile, said it spoke to Arun Pandey, a confidante and business partner of Dhoni, and received confirmation that the claim is false. He dismissed the claim and said, "This is just a new campaign of Star Sports and nothing else."
It is clear that Dhoni has not converted to Buddhism and the claims is FALSE. The viral image is from an ad campaign for IPL.
