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Chennai Super Kings, led by MS Dhoni, reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the 10th time after defeating Gujarat Titans by 15 runs on Tuesday. Defending a total of 173, Chennai managed to bowl out Hardik Pandya’s men for 157. After CSK’s qualification for the summit clash, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag gave a shoutout to Dhoni. Praising the World Cup-winning captain’s supreme leadership skills, Sehwag declared that only Dhoni “could have taken him to the final”. The former Indian cricketer said that there is a reason “why he (Dhoni) is who he is and receives the love that he does.”
His tweet read, “Chennai Super Kings. What a great team. Leadership is about getting the best out of its resources and with the bowling line-up that Chennai have, only MS Dhoni could take them to the final. That’s why he is who he is and receives the love that he does.
Chennai Superkings. What a great team. Leadership is about getting the best out of its resources and with the bowling line-up that Chennai have, only MS Dhoni could take them to the final. That’s why he is who he is and receives the love that he does. #CSKVGT– Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) May 23, 2023
Harbhajan Singh also left a special note for “Thala” Dhoni.
, @ChennaiIPL , , , #M S Dhoni , #CSKvsGT– Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) May 23, 2023
Rajasthan Royals shared a then and now collage to congratulate MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings for making it to the 10th IPL final.
Saw MS Dhoni (27) play in his maiden IPL final. still watching him (41) doing his work_ pic.twitter.com/ReXJeUBW3T
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 23, 2023
Troubled by a knee injury, MS Dhoni has come down to bat lower down the order for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023. Dhoni is currently enjoying a strike rate of 185.71 in this season’s IPL after playing 15 matches. However, fitness issues did not deter Dhoni from showcasing his excellent leadership qualities. His excellent captaincy was once again on full display during the first qualifier between Chennai and Gujarat Titans yesterday. From making crucial changes in the bowling attack to field placements, the veteran skipper hardly did any wrong last night at Chepauk in Chennai.
Apart from facing detractors on the field, Dhoni has to face another much discussed issue off the field and that is his IPL retirement plan. With many speculating about Dhoni’s possible IPL retirement, the Chennai skipper when asked about the million-dollar question at the post-match presentation ceremony, said, “I don’t know, I have time to decide.” There are 8-9 months for it. Why take that headache now. I have enough time to take a decision. Auction is in December.
Coming back to the on-field developments, batting first, Chennai Super Kings defended a total of 172 runs. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged as Chennai’s top-scorer with a classy 44-ball 60. Devon Conway played an important inning of 40 runs with the bat. Gujarat Titans fast bowlers Mohammad Sham and Mohit Sharma took two wickets each for their side.
The Chennai Super Kings bowlers put up a brilliant display to restrict the defending IPL winners to 157 runs. Deepak Chahar, Mahesh Thikshana and Mathisha Pathirana took two wickets each to take Chennai to the final stage.
Lucknow Super Giants will take on Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator tonight.
