[Watch] IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya gives MS Dhoni warm hug ahead of CSK-MI clash

A day before their match at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium in the 2025 Indian Premier League, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni were spotted cuddling during a practice session between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

The official X account of MI shared a brief video of the two having a good time together while the two teams warmed up in the evening on Saturday, March 22.

Since its posting, the adorable film has been receiving more and more attention. Following their consumption of the video, Indian cricket fans and fans of the individual teams have poured their feelings into the comments section.

HP MSD#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai #TATAIPL #CSKvMI [Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni] pic.twitter.com/JtCDgnShBq

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 22, 2025

Outside of the cricketing world, Hardik Pandya and Dhoni have long had a tight relationship, which is well known.

In 2025, Hardik will lead MI for the second season of the IPL. But, in the IPL 2024 itself, Dhoni gave Gaikwad the captaincy.

After the BCCI reinstated the previous regulation that declared players who had not participated in international cricket for five years or longer to be “uncapped,” Dhoni was curiously kept as an uncapped player by CSK, even though the star all-rounder was kept before the massive auction.

The two most successful teams in IPL history, CSK and MI, have each won five championships. The Super Kings finished sixth in the standings and just missed out on the playoffs after losing to RCB in their final group-stage match, while the Mumbai Indians had a disappointing 2024 campaign. The two teams’ goal for 2025 is to get off to a good start.