Someone needs to be a proper devil to hate MS Dhoni: Hardik Pandya ahead of GT vs CSK, Qualifier 1

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya calls CSK captain MS Dhoni his friend and elder brother.

Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya said that one needs to be a "proper devil" to harbor grudges against the talismanic Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni, who is probably playing his last season in the IPL 2023.

The two sides will clash in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023 on May 23, 2023, at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the winner of the match going straight into the final of the tournament slated to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad on May 28, Sunday.

"I'll always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan and for so many fans out there and so many cricket lovers. You need to be a proper devil to hate Mahendra Singh Dhoni," said Pandya in a video posted by Gujarat Titans on social media.   

The turnaround Dhoni, has effected from last season, has once again brought the spotlight on him as CSK aim to bag their fifth IPL title after finishing second-last in 2022.

For me, he's just my dear friend, dear brother: Hardik Pandya on MS Dhoni

While CSK's performance suffered due to last year's captaincy controversy, they have recently been on fire with players like Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Ajinkya Rahane uniting to once again give the club the appearance of a champion.

Pandya claimed that he has picked up a lot of cricketing intricacies from Dhoni merely by observing him play. He also said that for him MSD was like a brother who he could chill around with.

"A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don't see him as a Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Obviously, I've learnt a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things, which I've learnt from him just while watching, not even much talking.

For me, he's just my dear friend, dear brother, who I do pranks, who I chill,” Pandya added.