NEW DELHI: As the excitement builds ahead of the marquee clash between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, Indian batting legend
Sunil Gavaskar
heaped praise on former CSK captain MS Dhoni and explains how 'Thala' is the reason behind the success of the five-time IPL winning team.
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In a video shared by the official broadcaster Star Sports on their X handle, Gavaskar says during a talk show that he has two favourite teams in the IPL.
"I have two teams, one I am from Mumbai so Mumbai Indians and another Chennai Super Kings," Gavaskar said.
When asked by the talk show host as to whatever the team combination, how is it MS Dhoni brings out the best from everybody?
To which Gavaskar replies cheekily, "Aur isiliye toh Thala for a reason hai na," and the audience loudly cheers and claps at the answer.
Gavaskar continues, "Because the captain should have the ability to bring out the best from players who come from different countries and from different cities of India and play for the collective goal of the team, that is win the IPL trophy after 6 weeks. For that, it may happen sometime that you may have good players but you have to keep them out of the playing XI sometimes, because of the team combination. But while doing that, you have to make sure that that player doesn't feel that he is useless. You are very important for us, very valuable for us. All these abilities are with MSD, isiliye Thala for a reason."
Hardik Pandya
taking over from
Rohit Sharma
as the leader of Mumbai Indians (MI) marks a transition in one of the most successful franchises in IPL history.
Similarly,
Ruturaj Gaikwad
succeeding MS Dhoni as the leader of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) represents a new era for the powerhouse team.
Despite these changes, the intense rivalry between MI and CSK is likely to continue unabated. This rivalry has been a highlight of the IPL, with both teams having passionate fan bases and a history of thrilling encounters on the field.
The change in leadership adds a new dynamic to this rivalry, as the new captains will strive to maintain their team's legacy of success while also bringing their own style and strategies to the table.
It will be interesting to see how Hardik Pandya and Ruturaj Gaikwad handle the pressure of leading such prestigious teams and how their leadership impacts the MI-CSK rivalry in the upcoming IPL seasons.
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