Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya showed his love and respect towards former Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni ahead of the IPL 2024 mega encounter on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Pandya and Dhoni share great camaraderie on and off the field as the flamboyant all-rounder makes his international debut under the captaincy of the legend. The duo has often been seen spending time together when there is no cricket action.
Meanwhile, minutes before the much-anticipated MI vs CSK clash, Hardik left his warm-up session and ran around to hug Dhoni who was entering the middle to join his teammates. The duo shared a warm hug while fans inside the stadium cheered loudly after witnessing the special moment.
Dhoni, who is at the end of his career, could play for the last time at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday as speculation is rife that this could be his last season as a player in the cash-rich league.
In the mega clash, Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against arch-rivals CSK in front of a packed stadium as fans came out in large numbers to support both the teams.
The MI skipper claimed that dew was the main reason behind their decision to play first as they also decided to play the same team in the last match.
“We would like to bowl first, the dew will come in. It (the pitch) looks better than the last game, we expect a lot of runs. You have to stick to the basics. Winning is very important to gain momentum. We were able to win two matches convincingly. That’s the beauty of IPL, everyone has to contribute. Your team will eventually be able to achieve their goals after 10 overs (in the last match.) It gets heavier in the evening,” Hardik said during the toss.
On the other side, defending champions CSK made one change to their team as Matheesha Pathirana returned to the team replacing Maheesh Theekshana.
“I would have bowled first, something we can’t control. You have to do well in all three departments. That’s the beauty of IPL. always fluctuating. Good contest for both teams, two teams to win .The team that plays better will win. Pathirana replaces Theekshana, that’s the only change,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said during the toss.
