Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has shared how Mumbai Indians (MI) dominated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, especially in big games. He also said that they would plan their strategies to counter MS Dhoni’s tricks. While both franchises are the most successful in league history with five titles each, MI have the upperhand over CSK in head-to-head records as well where MI lead 20-17 in their 37 IPL meetings and hold a 3-1 edge in the finals as well, including winning the last three summit clashes in 2013, 2015, and 2019.
On the other hand, Harbhajan Singh played for MI from 2008 to 2017 and he was part of their first three title-winning campaigns before moving to CSK from 2018 to 2020 as well.
During a conversation with Sports Yaari as quoted by NDTV, Harbhajan said: “The tricks Dhoni used to come up with, we worked to find a solution. In pressure situations, MI did better than CSK. When I left MI to join CSK, I got a lot of love. Bowled well and won a championship, got a runners-up medal as well.”
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“In that match (IPL 2018), Dwayne Bravo’s magical batting and Kedar Jadhav’s show earned CSK the title. Else, MI would’ve won again. To overcome Dhoni, you have to think better, play your cards better. It isn’t easy. MI have done it as they had better players and the planning was also good,” he said.
However, Harbhajan Singh also opened up on the comparison between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as captains by saying all the legendary Indian captains left their mark as well.
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“Why do you compare the two? Dhoni led the team and took it forward, Rohit is also doing the same. Every cup you win, you put hope in others. That is important. The better captain is the one who inspires you to win. If we talk about achievements, Rohit is not lesser than Dhoni. Dada, Kohli, Dhoni, Rohit, everyone has contributed in their own way to take the team forward. Now, the fight is within to take the team even a step further,” concluded Harbhajan Singh.
