Former Indian captain and Chennai Super Kings star Mahendra Singh Dhoni is once again in the news ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Social media went ballistic last week over claims that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was to issue a ₹7 coin in the legendary cricketer’s name as a tribute to his contribution to Indian cricket.
X’ platform shared a viral post stating that the commemorative coin was being released in honor of Dhoni. The PIB, however, fact-checked and put this claim to rest.
Sharing the image in question, PIB clarified via a tweet: “The claim made in the image is #fake. The Department of Economic Affairs has made NO such announcement.” The tweet tagged the Ministry of Finance, DD News, All India Radio News and other key government agencies to spread awareness.
Despite being fake, the claim attracted massive attention, misleading many on social media. Instances like these emphasize the importance of verifying news to avoid public confusion.
An image circulating on social media claims that a new ₹7 coin will be released to honor Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his contributions to Indian Cricket.#PIBFactCheck
✔️ The claim made in the image is #fake.
✔️ The Department of Economic Affairs has made NO such announcement. pic.twitter.com/rgFwmVUPbL
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) November 14, 2024
How to Identify Fake News?
Fact-checking platforms like Alt News recommend techniques such as Reverse Image Search, Search Filters, Local Verification, and Transcript Review to identify and debunk false claims effectively.
Dhoni’s IPL 2025 Preparations
But Dhoni prepares for the IPL 2025 season with CSK. Retained for ₹4 crore as an ‘uncapped’ player owing to his retirement from international cricket since the 2019 ODI World Cup, this will amount to a big cut in salary, after having earned ₹12.5 crore in IPL 2024.
In his illustrious IPL career, Dhoni has played 264 matches, scoring 5,243 runs at an average of 39.13 and a strike rate of 137.54, with 24 half-centuries.
