‘Asli fans MS Dhoni ke hain, baaki sab paid’: Harbhajan Singh stirs debate

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh stirred debate with comments that many interpreted as a subtle dig at Virat Kohli’s fanbase.

During a recent chat show on JioStar, Harbhajan remarked, “Kitna bacha hua hai aur jab tak dum hai, khelo bhai. Meri team hoti to shayad main kuch aur decision leta. (Whatever time is left, play as long as you can. If it were my team, I might have taken a different decision.)”

He went on to praise Dhoni’s fanbase, saying, “Seedhi si baat hai, fan to chahenge kyunki unke fan jo hain. Mujhe lagta hai ki sabse zyada asal wale fan unke hee hain (Chennai Super Kings). Baki to ye bane banaye hain, jo aajkal social media par hain. Aadhe to paid hee chalte hain par inke fan asal mein fan hain. Baaki jo number aap dekhte ho, un par baad mein baith kar charcha karenge. (Simply put, fans will obviously want him to play because they are his fans. I believe Dhoni has the most genuine fanbase. The rest seem manufactured; nowadays, half of social media is paid. His fans are real. As for the numbers you see elsewhere, we can discuss that later.)"

He added, “MS Dhoni iss baar dekhein toh acha khele hain, theek thaak khele (MS Dhoni has played well this season – decent, if not exceptional).”

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra, also part of the discussion, told Harbhajan, “You should not have spoken so much truth.”

Harbhajan’s comments triggered widespread speculation online, with some fans suggesting he was indirectly referring to Virat’s fanbase.

Virat recently retired from Test cricket, prompting an outpouring of emotion from fans. At the rain-washed Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders match in Bengaluru, supporters showed up in large numbers wearing Test jerseys in tribute, urging the 36-year-old to reconsider his decision.