MS Dhoni had already been an honorary member of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association till now.
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni received the Jharkhand State Cricket Association's life membership on Sunday. In an updated list which was released on Sunday, Dhoni's name appeared at the bottom, with membership number '1951'. He became the 645th life member of the JSCA.
Dhoni had been an honorary member of his state's cricket association till now. Being an honorary member, Dhoni had no power in the decision-making process at the association, as honorary members aren't allowed to vote in the elections.
The state board elections took place on September 22 last year, taking the JSCA nine months to complete the process of granting the life membership to India's most successful captain.
According to a report in the New Indian Express, the process took time due to delay in a few documents and the eventual nationwide lockdown in March.
"It was formally announced at the AGM but the process took time because we were awaiting a few documents, which we eventually got in March,” Sanjay Sahay, JSCA secretary, told the newspaper.
“The nationwide lockdown in March further delayed the process. The list has to be approved by the office-bearers including the president and secretary. We have uploaded the list on the website,” Sahay added. (ALSO READ: On this day: Rohit Sharma scores fifth century in 2019 WC, breaks world record)
Interestingly, many current cricketers who represent Jharkhand in first-class cricket, including Varun Aaron, Shahbaz Nadeem, Saurabh Tiwary, Ishank Jaggi and Kumar Deobrat among others received their life membership from JSCA before Dhoni, who started his career way before the aforementioned names.
MS Dhoni, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on Tuesday, practiced with Jharkhand's Ranji squad earlier this year to prepare for a return to cricket action. He was set to make a comeback in the Indian Premier League this season, but the coronavirus pandemic forced an indefinite suspension on the edition.
