Gukesh D: World Champion Beats 'Idol' MS Dhoni, Bags 3 Times More Prize Money Than Thala's IPL 2025 Salary

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D Gukesh etched his name in history by coming the 18th world chess champion, defeating China's Ding Liren at the 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore on Thursday.

At just 18 years old, the Indian Grandmaster has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the youngest player to claim the world champion title.

He is only the second Indian to earn this prestigious honor, following in the footsteps of Viswanathan Anand. Gukesh secured the championship with a hard-fought 7.5-6.5 victory in a grueling 14-game series.

Following the huge win, he broke into tears and earned a whopping prize money that is even more than his idol MS Dhoni's IPL 2025 salary!

Love For MS Dhoni

The 18-year-old once revealed that the former India captain is an inspiration since he was a kid along with tennis ace Novak Djokovic.

"When I was younger, it was Indian cricketer MS Dhoni, now it's Novak Djokovic. I think both are great athletes and I admire a lot of things about both of them. I think the way Dhoni and tennis great Novak Djokovic handle themselves under immense pressure, they are big-game players and always come out on top and bring out their best whenever needed. That is why I am attracted to them," Gukesh had told PTI.

How Much Money Did Gukesh D Earn?

The tournament featured a prize pool of $2.5 million. Each victory in a classical game was valued at $200,000 (approximately ₹1.69 crore). Gukesh emerged victorious in three games, earning $600,000 (around ₹5.07 crore), while his opponent, Ding Liren, secured two wins and took home $400,000 (approximately ₹3.38 crore).

The remaining $1.5 million from the prize fund will be evenly shared between the two players. As a result, Gukesh's total earnings will amount to $1.35 million, which is roughly ₹11.45 crore, almost 3 times more than Dhoni's salary.

So both Gukesh and Ding together earned more than what the victorious Rohit Sharma-led India got after winning the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue fetched a total of ₹20.42 crore.

MS Dhoni's IPL 2025 Salary

The 43-year-old legendary Indian batter will be once again seen in the yellow jersey of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025. Before the auctions took place, Thala was retained for ₹4 crore as an 'uncapped player' as he didn't feature in any international game for India in the last 5 years.