Chennai Super Kings are ready to step on the field at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Sunday to play their record seventh final of Indian Premier League. They booked the spot after winning a thrilling qualifier match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday. But after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier, the Deccan side will be Chennai's opponent in the final.
Ahead of the final, CSK skipper, MS Dhoni addressed the media in Mumbai. During this conversation, he talked about the emotional aspect of the tournament for the team that returned to IPL after two years of hiatus.
The Chennai team could not play matches at their home ground due to political issues. Pune became their second home, but that doesn't mean that Captain Cool forgot the home base during the tournament.
"The emotional aspect was more at the start of the tournament. Once the tournament starts, you have to be more professional than emotional about it. Yes, we are a bit disappointed that we couldn't play matches in Chennai, but at the same time, we are still happy that we at least one game happened in Chennai because the fans were waiting for a long time for this moment.
"The last two years we were not there but our fan following kept increasing, the fans were waiting for us to come back and start doing well. It's unfortunate that we are not playing in Chennai, but as I said, being professional is more important," said Dhoni.
Throughout the tournament, banned for two seasons on charges of corruption, the most successful franchise in the history of T20 cricket played like a team possessed with their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again at the forefront with a calm demeanour.
Dubbed 'Dad Army' or 'Retirement Home' by some cheeky fans, Chennai Super Kings will look forward to lifting their third IPL trophy on Sunday.
