If I had to lose, I would rather lose to Dhoni: Pandya

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 came to a close on May 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) claiming their fifth title by defeating the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets.

After being allowed to bat first, GT scored a massive 214 runs thanks to a solid batting performance by Sai Sudharshan (96), however due to a rain delay, the goal for CSK was 171 in 15 overs, which the five-time champions eventually chased down on the penultimate ball.

The defending champions were one of the greatest teams in the IPL 2023, and it would have needed something exceptional to beat them.

Hardik Pandya conveyed his emotions by saying he was happy of the team's performance and that if he had to lose the title to anyone, he would rather lose to CSK captain MS Dhoni. The renowned Indian all-rounder went on to say that good things come to nice people.

"I'm very happy for him (MS Dhoni), destiny had this written. If I had to lose, I'd rather lose to him. Good things happen to good people, and he's been one of the best people I know. God has been kind, God has been kind to me as well but today was his night,"

Pandya said at the post-match presentation.

The GT captain also admitted that CSK played better cricket in the final and deserved to win. The 29-year-old further stated that GT's philosophy was "we win together, we lose together." Pandya even went on to congratulate Sudharshan for his knock in such a high-pressure game.

"I think we tick a lot of boxes as a team. We play with a lot of heart, really proud of the way we kept fighting. We have a motto - we win together, we lose together. I'm not going to make excuses, CSK played the better cricket. We batted really well, special mention to Sai (Sudarshan), not easy to play that well at this level. We have been backing the boys and trying to make sure we get the best out of them. But their success is their success. The way they have put their hand up and delivered - Mohit, Rashid, Shami everyone,"

Pandya concluded.

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