Ahead of Qualifier 1 of the IPL, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya has paid tributes to Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and said he will always be a Dhoni fan.

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Hardik: But for me, he’s( Dhoni) just my dear friend, dear brother

“Obviously, I have learned a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things, which I’ve learned from him just while watching, not even much talking. But for me, he’s just my dear friend, dear brother, who I do pranks, and who I chill with.

You need to be a proper devil to hate MS Dhoni, says Hardik Pandya | Sports  News,The Indian Express

“A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don’t see him as Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” he said in a video posted by Gujarat Titans.

I’ll always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan- Hardik

“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 MS Dhoni.”

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Hardik’s GT will lock horns against Dhoni’s CSK

Hardik Pandya says he will always be CSK captain's fan: You need to be proper  devil to hate MS Dhoni - India Today

Hardik’s GT will lock horns against Dhoni’s CSK in the first playoff on Tuesday evening at Chepauk. The two teams have a lot in common: from team culture to consistency in picking the same XI.

Gujarat has been a tad different and hasn’t looked anywhere else or outside the box to be competitive

In a tournament where most teams are searching for an identity of their own, Gujarat has been a tad different and hasn’t looked anywhere else or outside the box to be competitive. Instead, they have just looked at Chennai Super Kings’ modus operandi, have picked their strengths, and have tried to replicate it with their head coach Ashish Nehra being the instrumental force behind it.