HYDERABAD: M.S. Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings shrugged off their ‘Dad’s Army’ label to reach Sunday’s IPL final against the Mumbai Indians with both teams looking to clinch a record fourth title.
Chennai hammered Delhi Capitals, the kid stars of the Indian Premier League, by six wickets on Friday to reach a record eighth final in the Twenty20 tournament.
The 37-year-old Dhoni is one of 11 members of the 25 man Chennai squad aged over 30.
Australian Shane Watson is 37 and fellow opener Faf du Plessis, a relative team youngster at 34. Both plundered fifties off the Delhi bowling as Chennai powered past the 147 target with an over to spare and just four wickets lost.
Dhoni, winner of three IPL titles and still a key member of India’s World Cup squad, is not bothered by questions about his age.
“I don’t mind that because all this increases the anticipation,” Dhoni said at the start of the game against Delhi, who were referred to as the ‘Kid’s Army’.
Their captain Shreyas Iyer is 23 and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, the likely successor to Dhoni in the national side, just 21.
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