MUMBAI: Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni has been announced as the new team co owner of Chennaiyin FC team.

Dhoni, who is known to have a passion for football and bikes other than cricket, will be part of the upcoming Hero Indian Super League that promises to create a revolution in Indian football and help launch a new era for the game. Other cricketers who own a stake in various teams include Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

The announcement was made by Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani who felt that it was an absolute honour to have Dhoni as one of the co owners of the franchise. “Mahi has a strong association with the people of Chennai and so with him coming on board, we take another giant step towards achieving the goal of creating a world class football club in Chennai” she commented.

Expressing his excitement on becoming a co-owner of Chennayin FC, Dhoni stated that he used to be a goalkeeper in school and always enjoyed playing and watching the game. “The Hero ISL is a fantastic platform for football to grow with IMG-Reliance and Star India associated with it. I look forward to an exciting season ahead but at the same time it’s important that we develop the grassroots level and produce more football stars in India,” he added.

Chennaiyin FC starts its Hero ISL campaign with an away game against FC Goa on 15 October while their first home fixture is against Kerala Blasters on 21 October.