Here is the day for MSDians worldwide! The birthday celebrations of the former Indian cricket captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) great MS Dhoni have taken off in a big way! With just less than 24 hours to go for the legendary cricketer’s 44th birthday, the fans of Vijayawada revealed 2 huge cutouts of Dhoni, setting the social media users with excitement.
In a video that went viral on X on July 6, thousands of CSK fans are seen collected near the giant cutouts. They carries CSK posters and cheering for their idol “Thala.” One cutout portray Dhoni in typical south guy mode who is wearing a traditional South Indian attire, reflects his strong connection with fans in the region.
MS Dhoni is the face of CSK since the IPL’s launch in 2008. MSD who is also popularly known as Thala among his fans, has a huge fan following in South India. Except for a 2-year period in 2016-2017, when Chennai Super Kings was suspended from IPL, MS Dhoni has led the Super Kings with unparalleled consistency, taking them to 5 IPL trophies, the most recent one coming in 2023.
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MS Dhoni’s love for Chennai and ‘super’ fans
Dhoni’s love for Chennai and the Super Kings IPL franchise has made him a most affectionate big figure in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere. In fact Dhoni himself had shared many times his love for Chennai in interviews. An excited social media fan wrote, “It’s not just cricket, it’s an emotion. Thala is family.” Interestingly, in history, MS Dhoni is also the only captain to have won all 3 of the ICC’s premier trophies-T20 World Cup (2007), 50-over World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013).
Doubts on MS Dhoni’s IPL retirement
However, speculation still remains over Dhoni’s future in the IPL. He has not given any clarity over his IPL retirement. Post CSK’s final game of the season, Dhoni had also spoken about retirement rumours, reveals that he would take 4-5 months to make a call. In his words at the post-match presentation, the cricketer said “I have 4-5 months to decide, there’s no hurry. It’s not always about performance. If cricketers start retiring based on that, some will quit at 22.”
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience reporting on Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes journalism plays a crucial role in amplifying unheard voices and bringing attention to issues that truly matter. Sofia has contributed articles to The New Indian Express, Youth Ki Awaaz, and Maktoob Media. She is also a recipient of the 2025 Laadli Media Awards for gender sensitivity. Beyond the newsroom, she is a music enthusiast who enjoys singing. Connect with Sofia on X: https://x.com/SBCism
