Ever since a video of MS Dhoni enjoying a sheesha surfaced after IPL 2024, fans have been left wondering: Was it a one-off or does he indulge occasionally? As it turns out, it’s the latter. Sam Billings, the England batter and former Chennai Super Kings player, has revealed that Dhoni travels with a sheesha, which is usually set up in his hotel room. In fact, the five-time IPL-winning captain even has someone specifically tasked with looking after it.
MS Dhoni has a dedicated person to look after his sheesha (AFP)
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Billings made the revelation on the Stick to Cricket podcast, alongside England greats Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell. Asked to name his favourite figure in franchise cricket, Billings wasted no time in picking his former CSK captain. But while praising Dhoni’s greatness, he also let slip the quirky detail about the sheesha.
“Has to be Dhoni. I think just in terms of his captaincy, his aura, it’s fantastic. He’s incredibly calm and genuinely cool. There aren’t many cool people. You don’t meet many cool people these days. But he is. Wow, what a lovely guy, considering how much stardom he has. He’s a superstar. Obviously, a Manchester United fan, like myself. We have watched quite a few games together. Because he can’t leave the hotel or go downstairs to the bar,” said Billings.
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“Has to be Dhoni. I think just in terms of his captaincy, his aura, it’s fantastic. He’s incredibly calm and genuinely cool. There aren’t many cool people. You don’t meet many cool people these days. But he is. Wow, what a lovely guy, considering how much stardom he has. He’s a superstar. Obviously, a Manchester United fan, like myself. We have watched quite a few games together. Because he can’t leave the hotel or go downstairs to the bar,” said Billings.
“He leaves his hotel room open, and he has this little sheesha man, whose sole job is to look after the sheesha. Khaleel.”
What about Virat Kohli?
Billings then turned to Virat Kohli, recalling the former India captain’s fiery send-offs. While he didn’t share any IPL anecdotes, Billings looked back at an ODI between India and England in 2017, where Kohli made his feelings towards the England opener abundantly clear.
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“Played against him. He gave me a couple of send-offs. The passion… yeah, I got bowled out in Kanpur by Yuzvendra Chahal. Yorked myself, round the wicket. Virat, I remember, was at mid-wicket. He took a massive turn just to scream in my face. I was like, ‘Why are you wasting your time with me?’ All the great players have something special, and if you can’t quite put a finger on one aspect in particular.”
CSK got Billings on board ahead of the IPL 2018 season for ₹1 crore and was retained in 2019. In 10 games, he scored 108 runs, emerging champion when CSK beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.
Aditya Bhattacharya is the Sports Editor at Hindustan Times Digital, with close to 15 years of experience in sports journalism. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading media organisations including Cricbuzz, The Times of India, Network18 and Zee. Primarily a cricket writer, Aditya has covered several marquee events, including the 2016 ICC World T20, the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and the 2023 World Cup in India. His reporting portfolio also includes international cricket across England, South Africa and New Zealand, along with forays into tennis, including coverage of the Australian Open. He has interviewed several prominent athletes across sports. Aditya began his career with a brief stint at CricketNext before getting his first major break at Cricbuzz, where he was part of the Times Network’s startup venture GoCricket, which later merged with Cricbuzz. After nearly 18 months there, he moved to The Times of India, covering his first World Cup assignment and reporting first-hand on landmark moments such as Virat Kohli’s iconic innings against Australia in Mohali. During his three-year tenure, he played a key role in both reporting and desk operations and was recognised as TOI Employee of the Quarter in 2016. He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight.
At Hindustan Times, Aditya’s leadership came to the fore as he was promoted to lead the sports team within 18 months. Under his stewardship, the section has delivered extensive coverage of global sporting events, including the IPL, Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. In 2024, he was named HT DigiStar of the Year. Aditya continues to adapt to the evolving digital publishing landscape, with a sharp focus on search and audience engagement. Outside work, he occasionally plays the guitar and remains an avid gamer.
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Home/Cricket/MS Dhoni has a 'sheesha man', Khaleel, whose sole job is to look after it: Former CSK teammate spills the beans
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