Veteran England wicket-keeper batter Sam Billings, who used to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has confirmed that legendary captain MS Dhoni would often indulge in shisha. Reflecting on his memories from the CSK dressing room between 2018 and 2019, Billings revealed that Dhoni would even appoint a “shisha man” to look after it. Describing Dhoni as a “cool” person, Billings also said that the former captain would usually keep his hotel room open.
“He (Dhoni) leaves his hotel room open, and he has this little “shisha man” in his entourage who looks after the shisha. His sole job is to look after the shisha. Khaleel,” revealed Billings, speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
This isn’t the first instance of a player saying that Dhoni indulges in shisha. Earlier, former India cricketers Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary had also hinted the same.
Billings also opened up on the stardom surrounding Dhoni, saying that the latter would rarely be able to leave the hotel.
“He can’t go outside!”
Imagine watching Man United with MS Dhoni! pic.twitter.com/boK5M3Sb3G
— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) March 17, 2026
In another fun anecdote, he revealed that Dhoni is a Manchester United fan, and the two would often watch football matches together.
“What a lovely guy, considering how much stardom he has. He’s a superstar. Obviously, a Manchester United fan, like myself. We’ve watched quite a few games together because he can’t leave the hotel or go downstairs to the bar,” Billings said.
“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,” the Englishman added.
Billings and Dhoni played together at CSK in 2018 and 2019. CSK won the title under Dhoni’s captaincy in 2018 and then reached the final the following year.
Despite being 44 years old, Dhoni will be entering his 17th IPL season with CSK in 2026. He even led the franchise in the second half of IPL 2025 after an injury to regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.