Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on their historic win in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last night and credited the team's victory to its captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
CSK defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in a rain-shortened match to clinch the 2023 IPL trophy.
Taking to social media, Chief Minister Stalin waxed lyrical about Mr Dhoni, 41, and also showered praise on all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who hit the winning runs for CSK who equalled Mumbai Indians' record of five IPL titles.
"Congrats to the yellow brigade of #CSK on their 5th IPL Trophy under the man with a plan for every situation @msdhoni! This is cricket at its very best and Jadeja who held his nerve in the face of adversity has sealed a historic victory for CSK. #IPLFinals2023," Chief Minister Stalin wrote on Twitter.
A cricket lover, MK Stalin has attended many CSK matches in person, some even sporting the iconic yellow jersey at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.
Fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad chanted "Dhoni, Dhoni!" throughout the game as many believe that the clash of titans last night was the former Team India skipper's final match for CSK, a team he has been captaining since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008.
Speaking after the final, the CSK skipper said that he will not announce his retirement from cricket just yet. The 41-year-old, who equalled Rohit Sharma's record of five IPL titles as captain, said that he wants to train for the next nine months and try to play in the next season as a "gift" for his fans.
"Looking for an answer? Circumstantially if you see this is the best time for me to announce retirement. But the amount of love and affection that I have been shown, wherever I have been this year...I think the easy thing for me to say would be to say 'Thank you very much', but the tough thing for me would be to work hard for nine months and come back and play at least one more season of IPL. But a lot depends on the body. It would take 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side. It's not easy for me but the way they have shown their loss and affection, that's something that I need to do," he said at the post-match presentation.
"My eyes were full of water, I needed to take some time off in the dugout. I realised I need to enjoy this. I think they love me for what I am, they love that I am so grounded, I don't try to portray something I'm not. Just keep it simple. Every trophy is special, but what is special about IPL is every crunch game you need to be ready," he added.
Devon Conway and Shivam Dube smashed 47 and 32 runs respectively to help CSK chase down a revised total of 171 in 15. MS Dhoni was dismissed for a golden duck, but Mr Jadeja smashed 15 off 6, including a six and a four in the final two balls, to finish the chase in style.
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