IPL 2023: Aakash Chopra Opines on CSK Reaching Their 10th IPL Final

Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has shared that the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) seems to have been organized for MS Dhoni after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain took his side to their 10th final in the tournament’s 16-year history as well. The four-time IPL title winner set a 173-run target for the Gujarat Titans (GT) after being asked to bat first in the Qualifier 1 clash in Chennai on Tuesday, May 23 as well.

Their bowlers then restricted Gujarat to 157 to help their team register a 15-run win and book their spot in the final as well. While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra added that Dhoni’s magical touch helped the Chennai Super Kings qualify for the final, claiming:

“14 years, 10 finals, four trophies. It seems the ‘P’ in IPL means peela (yellow). Chennai once again did an amazing job and have reached another final. They are an incredible team. It is MS Dhoni’s magic. This team is different. Mahi’s magic is different. It seems the entire tournament has been organized for MS Dhoni this time. They finished ninth last year, finished second this year (in the league phase), and have now become the first team to reach the final. Take a bow Dhoni, you are amazing.”

However, CSK have reached the final 10 times in the 14 seasons so far they have been a part of the tournament. They have failed to reach the playoffs only twice, with Dhoni playing the final in IPL 2017 too when he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant as well.

IPL 2023: CSK have a good season this year

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra named Ravindra Jadeja as the most valuable player (MVP) of the game. He also praised the CSK left-arm spinner for bowling a sharp-turning delivery to remove the dangerous David Miller, saying:

“Who was the most valuable player of the match? In my opinion, it was Ravindra Jadeja. Jaddu on these kind of surfaces is an absolute beast. When it was their turn to bowl, how well he bowled – the way he dismissed David Miller and before that Dasun Shanaka. Dasun Shanaka still tried to play an odd shot but David Miller – the ball spun. David Miller was promoted to finish the match. His numbers on this ground and against Chennai have been good but this time he couldn’t do anything.”

Aakash Chopra also shared that Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial role with the bat too. Jadeja scored 22 runs off 16 balls during CSK’s innings. He then registered stunning figures of 2/18 in four overs to restrict the Gujarat Titans in their run chase.

“Before that, Ravindra Jadeja scored important runs with the bat as well because of which the team reached beyond 170. So in my opinion, the most valuable player has to be Ravindra Jadeja,” he concluded.