IPL 2018: It was a special batting effort: MS Dhoni

Mumbai, May 27: After guiding Chennai Super Kings to their third IPL title, skipper MS Dhoni said it has been a wonderful batting effort from his side to chase down a competitive total of 178/6 by Sunrisers Hyderabad here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May 27).

"By the time you reach final, everyone knows their roles. Other than that, our batsmen know their style. And if someone is finding it difficult, you know the incoming batsman won't have it easy as well. You have to keep in mind that Bhuvi is as deceptive as Rashid, so it's not only one bowler in their side that could've put pressure on us. So, I feel it's a really good batting effort.

"But we always had the belief that we had the firepower in the middle overs. There was no plan to send Bravo up ahead. Rayudu has been our main batters, so we had protection in the middle," said Dhoni after the game.

The #WorldsToughestFinal was fit for a King and it isn't surprising then that it's #CSK who take home the 🏆!

Here are the best moments from #CSKvSRH! pic.twitter.com/GH1ra39EJP

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 27, 2018

After the IPL auction on January, the Chennai Super Kings received a lot of flak from all quarters for selecting a bunch of 30-plus veterans. But Dhoni said age is just a number and fitness mattered the most.

"Every win is special, so difficult to pick any one win. Lot of people talk about numbers, statistics, so tonight's 27th (of May), my jersey number is 7, and this was our seventh final. We talked a lot about age, but what's more important is the fitness. Rayudu, at 33, it doesn't really matter. That's what more matters than age.

Congratulations to @ChennaiIPL, the #VIVOIPL2018 champions 🏆! #CSKvSRH #IPL2018Final #Whistlepodu @BCCI pic.twitter.com/x9B1a5ckq9

— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) May 27, 2018

"If you ask most captains, they want players who move well on the field. Doesn't matter if you're 19-20 years old. We knew our shortcomings, and we were aware of it. If Watson tries to dive, he may injure his hamstring, so we don't want him to do that. We've been aware of these things. Age is just a number, but you have to be very fit," said Dhoni.

So what are the celebration plans? "We go to Chennai tomorrow. Irrespective of the result, that was the plan. Go to Chennai, meet the fans and those close to the team. But we'll have a get together in the hotel and enjoy the evening" said Dhoni.