IPL 2019 | “Thala” nickname is very special, says MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has been extremely successful as a captain, both in the Indian Premier League and at the international level. His captaincy skills and ability to win games has enabled his stature in Indian cricket to massively grow. He has now led Chennai Super Kings in ten seasons and thereby, has been adopted by his crowd of Chennai. 

After the crushing 80 run victory against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday,  the skipper had reserved a few words for his home crowd post match as this was the last league game of the season at Chepauk. 

"I have always said it's very special to get that kind of a nickname (Thala). It's a big nickname that they have given me. It feels really special. I didn't realise that it was part of the first CSK song,” he expressed with a smile, reported Cricbuzz

"The way I got accepted and the whole of Tamil Nadu - whenever they see me they don't call my name, they call me 'Thala'. It's feels very special and they have always supported not only me but the whole team," he added.

South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir has been the highest wicket-taker for the Chennai based franchise and the second highest overall. Even against DC, he had scalped four wickets which took his total tally to 21 in 13 games. The 40-year-old is known for his wild celebrations and Dhoni hilariously put forward his and Shane Watson’s reaction.

"It's great fun to watch him (Tahir) celebrate. We have made it very clear to him that me and Watson are never coming to him because more often than not, when he gets a wicket, he runs to the other side,” joked the former India captain.

"With me and Watson, it's quite difficult since we are not 100 percent fit. So, we just say very well done and go back to our positions. The good thing is he finishes the lap quickly and comes back to bowl," he signed off.

It was a special night for CSK fans as Dhoni, along with other players, thanked them in a special way. They did a victory lap and also distributed goodies like merchandise and signed tennis balls into the crowd. The three time champions are more or less a certainty to finish in the top two at the points table and if they do so, they may play their first qualifier at Chennai on May 7. CSK will play their final league game against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali in Sunday’s first game.