Ziva, Gracia Celebrate With Dads Dhoni, Raina as CSK Enter Final
It’s indeed the ‘Dad’s Army’!
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They’re known as the ‘Dad’s Army’ because the average age of their players is the oldest among all franchises, but the scene after Chennai Super Kings’ win over Delhi Capitals in the second Qualifier was just another reminder that the ‘Men in Yellow’ don’t mind that tag at all.
After entering their eighth Indian Premier League final with a 6-wicket win on Friday, 10 May, CSK captain MS Dhoni and teammate Suresh Raina were seen celebrating on the field with their daughters, Ziva and Gracia.
Half centuries by Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson led CSK into a third final against Mumbai Indians. Du Plessis and Watson both scored 50 runs each as Chennai romped to 151-4 in 19 overs. Delhi had earlier struggled to reach 147-9 after Chennai skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field.
Even ahead of the match, when Dhoni was asked about the age gap between players of both teams, he said, “Talking points are always good for the game. But it doesn’t really bother us because at the end of the day facts are facts. And also you need to be a bit aged to have experience on your side. Overall, there are positives about everything, there are negatives about everything”.
Chennai will meet Mumbai Indians in the final on Sunday, 12 May.
"It's the usual route, last year was the exception. The kind of response from the boys today was brilliant. The way we batted to get 140-plus runs was very nice," Dhoni said after the win.
"The crucial part was to keep getting wickets. The credit needs to go to the bowlers. Thanks to the bowling department for where we are this season."
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