On May 27, 2025, Former Cricketer Anil Kumble has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the Karnataka Forest and Wildlife Department, to create awareness among the public about forest conservation, forest development, tree preservation, and wildlife conservation.
- The announcement was made by Eshwar B Khandre, Minister of Forest, Ecology and Environment of Karnataka.
- He previously served as the Vice-President of the Karnataka Wildlife Board.
Note: In the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, a total of 1,20,975 hectares of plantations, 25 new arboretums, and 35 forests have been developed in Karnataka
About Anil Kumble:
i.He is a former Indian cricketer renowned for his exceptional leg-spin bowling.
- In 1990, he made his international debut for One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka and for Test against England.
ii.Over an illustrious 18-year international career, he represented India in 132 Test matches and 271 One Day Internationals (ODIs), amassing 619 and 337 wickets, respectively.
iii.In 1999, he made a history by taking all 10 wickets in a test innings against Pakistan in Delhi, joining alongside Jim Laker, England Bowler.
iv.He was appointed the head coach of the Indian National cricket team in 2016.
Awards and Honours:
i.He was awarded the Arjuna award, the second highest sporting honour in India in 1995.
ii.He was named Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1996.
iii.He was conferred the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian award in the field of sports, in 2005.
iv.His name was inducted in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Wall of Fame in 2015.
Dettol Appoints MS Dhoni as its Brand Ambassador
In May 2025, Gurugram (Haryana) based Dettol India, germ protection brand, has appointed renowned former cricket player Mahendra Singh (MS) Dhoni as its brand ambassador for its Dettol Soaps, Bodywash and Handwash range.
About MS Dhoni:
i.MS Dhoni made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004 and Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2005.
ii.He led the Indian cricket team in Twenty-20 (T20) format and clinched the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
- He is the only captain in history to have won all three major ICC trophies.
iii.He retired from Test cricket in 2014 and from all international formats in 2020.
iv.Currently, he has been playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Awards and Honours:
i.He was conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award(formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award), India’s highest sporting honour, in 2007.
ii.In 2009, he received the Padma Shri Award, the fourth-highest civilian award, and Padma Bhushan Award, third-highest civilian award in 2018 in the field of sports.
iii.He was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister (CM) – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Thawar Chand Ghelot
Capital – Bengaluru
National Parks (NP) – Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP
