This is a googly India’s most expensive cricketer MS Dhoni seems to be unable to deal with. Mindscapes Maestros, the celebrity and sports management firm that Dhoni is an advisor to, on Tuesday said Dhoni remains with the company, though his business manager Yudhajit Dutta was on the verge of leaving the company.Prateek Sen, one of the directors on board of Mindscapes Maestros and also a co-promoter of the company, told ET on Tuesday: “Mindscapes is managing Dhoni’s business. Yudhajit Dutta, erstwhile manager of Dhoni, will no longer be part of the company and will no longer manage the cricketer’s business.”
An official announcement would be made soon and a public notice would also be issued in this regard, Mr Sen said. Mr Dutta, also a co-promoter and a minority stake holder with Mindscapes, however, said: “I continue to hold stake in Mindscapes and I continue to be with Dhoni.”
An sms query to Dhoni on the matter remained unanswered at the time of going to press. As first reported by ET last month, serious internal differences have cropped up between stake holders Pratik Sen and Ranadeb Paul on one side, and Dhoni’s manager, Yudhajit Dutta on the other. It is alleged that Mr Dutta had set up a new celebrity management firm – Purple People - without the knowledge of his partners.
Last year, Dhoni had parted ways with his management agency of three years, Gameplan Sports, and joined Mr Dutta, a former employee of Gameplan. Dhoni’s valuation the endorsement circuit is learnt to be around Rs 3.5-5 crore per endorsement deal a year.