No other cricketer apart from Sachin Tendulkar has caught the imagination of the media and commercial brands as much as MS Dhoni has. He is widely regarded as one of the biggest brands in cricket after Sachin Tendulkar and might surpass the little master by the time he retires.

Dhoni has also been vilified for his close relationship with former BCCI president N Srinivasan, who was also the owner of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, for which Dhoni played for 8 years, before the spot fixing saga took down both CSK and Rajasthan Royals.

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Dhoni and his relationship with N Srinivasan was analyzed under the microscope in journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s new book Democracy’s XI. Here are some experts from the book detailing this relationship and MS Dhoni’s handling of his brand value.

MS Dhoni was accused of protecting N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested for betting on IPL matches in the aftermath of the 2013 spot fixing saga. “Let me tell you, it is an absolute lie that I told a probe panel that Meiyappan was only a cricket enthusiast, all I said is he had nothing to do with the team's on-field cricketing decisions. I can't even pronounce the word "enthusiast",” Dhoni replied sarcastically to the media.

Dhoni has been unapologetic to the media about his and Srinivasan’s equation and has even said, “I really don't care what people say, I found Srinivasan as someone who was always there to help cricketers.”

However, a board official revealed the shrewdness with which MS Dhoni’s mind works. The official said, “Make no mistake, Dhoni knows which way the wind is blowing, he knows how to maneuver his way through the BCCI's corridors of power when required.”   

It was Srinivasan’s influence that brought MS Dhoni to Chennai during the early years of IPL and that made a cricketer from a Hindi speaking state, darling of millions of fans from the South. Dhoni paid back the love and support by winning two IPL titles and one Champions League title for the Chennai team, apart from reaching the finals three times in the first six years of the tournament.

“The people of Chennai are serious cricket followers. Dhoni embraced our cricket culture so readily he really was the fulcrum of our team's success. We gifted him a bike when he joined CSK and he would take it for a spin, stop at traffic lights and just smile at passers-by,” recalls Srinivasan.

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“We appreciated his cricket, he gave us respect in turn, what is wrong with that?” asks Srinivasan.

Ousted IPL head honcho Lalit Modi accused N Srinivasan of arm twisting officials so that he could retain MS Dhoni in CSK in 2010, with having to put him in the auctions that year. 'It was illegal since Icon Player status was meant to be only for the first three years of the IPL and yet Srinivasan was allowed to get away with it,' says Modi.

Mohinder Amarnath took criticized Srinivasan of vetoing his decision to drop MS Dhoni from captaincy in 2012. 'We were told that the board president and not the selectors will decide who the India captain is,' says Amarnath.

'Yes, it is true that I vetoed the decision to drop Dhoni as captain. How can you drop someone as captain within a year of his lifting the World Cup?' argues the former BCCI president.

The book also reveals how the Dhoni-Srinivasan relationship benefitted Dhoni outside the field also. Sardesai writes about Rhiti Sports, a company set up by Dhoni’s former Bihar Ranji teammate and close friend Arun Pandey. MS Dhoni had a large stake in the company.

Interestingly, Rhiti sports Management Company handled the contracts of both CSK and India players, giving Dhoni influence over the team selection. Sardesai writes,’ That a captain who had an influence over team selection was also the owner of a management agency representing players is further evidence of how 'star' players in Indian cricket could now get away with tweaking the system for personal advantage.’

In 2014, MS Dhoni was listed as the fifth most valuable brand with his annual earnings pegged at $30 million and endorsements valued at $26 million. 'I have more than I will ever need for one life. All these investments are handled by Arun and others, I don't have any role to play,' Dhoni claims.

The player-agent system was started by Sachin Tendulkar in 1996 with his association with WorldTel and he became the first Indian sportstar to sign a deal worth 100 crore INR. However, Sardesai writes that MS Dhoni took the concept and took it to a whole another level.

Dhoni also took offence when media suggested that he had a role in fixing matches. He said, 'That is where I really have to draw the line. Please criticize me but how can you accuse me of something like fixing a cricket game after all that the game has given me. For mediapersons to say things like "there can be no smoke without fire" is crazy. That is why I don't want to even talk to the media.'

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Dhoni also shares a strange relationship with the media, as he rarely interacts or gives interviews. 'You can call it my "satyagraha" against the media. I don't want to speak when I do badly. I won't speak when I do well either, the media can write what they wish,' he emphasizes.

Media have called MS Dhoni an enigma. He has created a different world for the outside people to see, whereas the real Dhoni is only known to a few people. He doesn’t carry a mobile and even if he does, he doesn’t responds to calls or SMSes.

Even his wife Sakshi had to call his close friend Suresh Raina, when India was touring Australia for the World Cup in 2015 and Sakshi gave birth to Ziva. Sakshi informed Raina and Raina in turn informed MS Dhoni that he had become a father, since Dhoni was not carrying a phone.

There is a theory discussed in the book, that suggest Dhoni decided to keep himself and his family safe from prying eyes of media and fans, after his then under construction house in Ranchi was pelted with stones etc after India crashed out of the 2007 World Cup.

'Actually, it was a new house that we were constructing so no one was living there. Some people entered and just pushed a few bricks that we had laid out for the construction, that's all. But yes, it deeply affected my family. Now, you can visit my parents, they will give you chai, but won't speak to the press any longer,' Dhoni said.

Excerpted from Democracy's XI by Rajdeep Sardesai (Juggernaut Books)