Former India captain MS Dhoni and batter Suresh Raina attended the wedding festivities of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's sister, Sakshi, on Tuesday. The ceremony took place at The Savoy hotel in Mussoorie, with Pant's sister set to tie the knot with businessman Ankit Chaudhary on Wednesday. Pant was part of India's Champions Trophy winning squad, but did not play a single game. Having returned to India earlier this week from Dubai, Pant took part in the mehendi, sangeet and haldi ceremonies.
Dhoni, along with his wife, Sakshi, arrived in Mussoorie on Tuesday evening. For the unversed, Dhoni's wife and Pant's sister share the same name.
In a viral video, Dhoni, Raina, and Pant can be seen dancing to famous Bollywood song "Dama dam mast kalandar."
News agency IANS reported on Tuesday that India skipper Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are expected to attend the wedding.
However, Rohit and Kohli were nowhere to be seen on day 1 of the wedding festivities. It remains to be seen if the duo will be part of Sakshi's D-day.
Sakshi, who studied in the UK, enjoys a large following on social media courtesy of her travel pictures and trendy outfits. She and Ankit got engaged last year after reportedly dating each other for nine years.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul played ahead of Pant as India's designated wicketkeeper-batter during the Champions Trophy.
Pant was part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad in which India defeated New Zealand in the final to clinch their third title.
The wicketkeeper-batter survived a near-fatal car crash in December 2022. After undergoing multiple surgeries and extended rehabilitation, he made a comeback to cricket after more than a year and helped India win the T20 World Cup.
On his comeback in Test, he scored a match-winning century against Bangladesh in September 2024, equalling Dhoni's record for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper.
Pant also became the most expensive player in IPL history at the 2025 mega auction after he was bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 27 crore in Jeddah last November. He surpassed the mark set by Punjab Kings' (PBKS) bid of Rs 26.75 crore to buy Shreyas Iyer just a few minutes earlier.
This January, he was officially unveiled as the LSG captain for IPL 2025, starting from March 22.
(With IANS Inputs)