IPL 2025: Harsha Bhogle apologises to Suresh Raina for mistakenly referring to Ravindra Jadeja as ‘Chinna Thala’

Harsha Bhogle, a well-known analyst, apologised to fans on Twitter after incorrectly referring to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon MS Dhoni as Chinna Thala. The Indian legend is known as Thala, which means ‘leader’ or ‘head’ in Tamil, and he gained the moniker after guiding CSK for several years. Suresh Raina, on the other hand, is known as Chinna Thala, which means deputy or second-in-command, a title he gained after scoring a lot of runs for the team.

The incident occurred during IPL Match 67 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where the five-time champions CSK defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT).

Harsha Bhogle then stated that the mix-up was inadvertent and that he was talking to Raina, also known as ‘Chinna Thala’.

“My apologies for the “Chinna Thala” reference. We were talking about Raina a bit earlier. Apologies to the original #ChinnaThala @imRaina,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the post-match presentation in Motera.

My bad with the “Chinna Thala” reference. We were talking about Raina a little while earlier. Apologies to the original #ChinnaThala @ImRaina.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 25, 2025

Dhoni is unsure on his IPL retirement.

Meanwhile, during the post-match presentation, the former Indian captain revealed that he would not say he would return, but also stated that he is not finished yet. He noted that the squad had elected to bat second, although he believed that batting first would have been better. Dhoni also informed Ruturaj Gaikwad that he does not need to worry about next year, implying that the latter will return as captain of the Chennai-based team.

“I’m not saying I’m done or that I’m coming back. I have the luxury of time. I’ll think about it and then decide. When the season began, all four games were held in Chennai. We elected to bat second, but I thought the wicket was ideal for batting in the first innings.

I was concerned about the batting department. We can put runs on the board, but we still need to fill a few holes. Ruturaj won’t have to worry about too many things next season. He’ll fit in one of those roles. You feel old. “He is exactly 25 years younger than me, which makes me feel old,” MS Dhoni stated during the post-match presentation.