MS Dhoni plays golf with Donald Trump at his $100,000-a-ticket fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani

Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was spotted playing a game of golf with Donald Trump on Thursday.

Dhoni, who was spending time in the US after his fifth Indian Premier League victory, was hosted by the former US president at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Videos and images from the event have been making rounds on social media, with people showering praise on Mr Dhoni for his ability to play the game well.

In a picture shared by Dubai-based entrepreneur Hitesh Sanghvi, Mr Dhoni could be seen standing next to the former president, who was donning a red Make America Great Again (MAGA) cap.

"Golf with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Donald Trump and Rajiv Sharma. Thank you Mr President for hosting us [sic],” the caption read.

“MSD [Mahendra Singh Dhoni], an icon, a legend,” wrote Mufaddal Vohra on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Indian cricketing champion was hosted by Mr Trump at his $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for disgraced former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Mr Giuliani, a longtime Trump ally and the president's former lawyer, is facing a barrage of legal fees, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work helping Mr Trump try to overturn the 2020 election and other cases.

He was indicted last month along with Mr Trump and 17 others in Georgia for what Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis has described as a wide-ranging conspiracy to subvert the will of the voters after Mr Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020.

Mr Giuliani’s son, Andrew, said in a radio interview Thursday morning that the event was expected to raise more than $1m for his father and that Mr Trump had committed to hosting a second event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida later in the fall or early winter.

“So that will be very helpful,” he said on WABC radio. Still, he said, “It won’t be enough to get through this."