‘Aur Dhoni ko harake hi final me pahuchega’ – Fans react as Hardik Pandya heaps praise on ‘dear brother’ MS Dhoni ahead IPL 2023 Qualifier 1

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League has reached its final stages where we are just four matches away from getting a champion. The defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) are all set to take on the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for qualifier 1 at the M.A. Chidambaram on May 23rd.

Before the match, GT skipper Hardik Pandya heaped praise on the CSK skipper MS Dhoni and also called him his ‘dear brother.’ In a recent video shared by GT on their social media ahead of their playoff clash with CSK, Hardik Pandya mentioned his equation with the former Indian skipper.

‘I have learned a lot of things from him’ – Pandya

“A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don’t see him as Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Obviously, I have learned a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things, which I have learned from him just while watching, not even much talking. But for me, he is just my dear friend, dear brother, who I do pranks, who I chill, and I will always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan and for so many fans out there and so many cricket lovers. You need to be a proper devil to hate Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Pandya said.

GT finished the league stage at the top of the points table with 10 wins from 14 matches. While CSK stand in the second position with eight wins from 14 games and 17 points. The winning team of Qualifier one will get a direct entry to the final of IPL 2023, whereas the losing team will get one more chance as they will meet the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.

However, the four-time champions CSK still haven’t been able to register a single victory in the three encounters against GT. This time, MS Dhoni’s men will be looking to break the jinx against the defending champions and enter their 10th IPL final. Meanwhile, GT will be aiming to continue their dominance by winning the second consecutive title.