CSK Player Leaks MS Dhoni's Love For Hookah; Confirms Irfan Pathan's Claims

MS Dhoni & RP Singh having a hookah; MSD & CSK players on field (PC - afp.com)

With just 10 days to go for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), MS Dhoni is already headlining the news for his practice session and reunion with old mates of the Chennai Super Kings.

While the 43-year-old MS Dhoni has started the preparation for what could be his last IPL season, anecdotes of his personal life during have started to hover around. Dhoni's love for smoking hookah is far from a hidden secret now, as the stories of the legendary cricket hosting small hookah parties during the IPL snoop in from here and there.

Previously, George Bailey, who was MS Dhoni's former teammate at CSK, revealed that the five-time IPL captain used hookah parties as team-bonding sessions during the season.

Sam Billings on MS Dhoni's hookah habits

Now, putting all arguments to rest, Sam Billings, who was with CSK, has spoken about how MS Dhoni has his hotel room open for a hookah session, and the legendary keeper has a specific guy in his entourage to take care of the hookah.

“MS Dhoni always leaves his hotel room open, and he has a little shisha man who looks after his shisha (Hookah). His sole job in his entourage is to look after that shisha (Hookah) pipe," Sam Billings said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

Interestingly, Billings has played 30 games in the IPL by representing three different franchises. He was with the Super Kings during the IPL 2018 and 2019, helping the team win their third title after a two-year ban.

When Irfan Pathan made controversial remarks about MS Dhoni's hookah

Apart from Billings and Bailey, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan previously spoke about Dhoni's love for hookahs. Pathan, who had shared both India and CSK's dressing rooms with Dhoni, made a controversial statement involving Thala.

The all-rounder had made a remark that his habit of not setting up a hookah for someone’s room cost him a spot in India’s XI.

“I don't have a habit of setting up hookah in someone's room or talking about this. Everyone knows. Sometimes if you don't speak about it, it's better. A cricketer's job is to perform on the field and that is what I used to focus on,” Irfan Pathan had said while hinting at MS Dhoni.

Pathan made this statement while sharing an episode from the 2007/08 Australia tour, when MS Dhoni captained India to a historic victory in the Commonwealth ODI Series.

During that series, Irfan Pathan was India's second-best bowler, with 11 wickets in nine matches, taking the wickets of James Hopes and Nathan Bracken in the second final.

Overall, Pathan had played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is for India, taking 301 wickets and scoring over 2800 international runs.

MS Dhoni to bow down with sixth IPL win!

The wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni plays just the IPL now and will be seen on March 30, playing for CSK against the Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati.

Having last won the title in IPL 2023, Dhoni wants to finish on a high by winning one more title for his beloved franchise. Although they finished at the bottom of the table last year, they have assembled a strong team with a perfect blend of youth and experience for the IPL 2026.