‘Stop this imaginary nonsense’ – Irfan Pathan slams fans questioning the happenings in DC vs CSK Qualifier 1 match

Some mind-boggling action was witnessed when Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals locked horns in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Although CSK eventually emerged victorious by four wickets, the game went right down to the wire. Now, what less can you expect from the top two teams of the group stage? Rishabh Pant’s DC looked in command for the best. However, MS Dhoni’s brief but stunning cameo meant Delhi will now feature in Qualifier 2.

With the game observing some T20 madness, social media went in a frenzy with fans hailing the nail-biting clash. Many prominent members of cricket fraternity also expressed their opinion. Among those was former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan. The southpaw, who’s a part of the IPL 2021 commentary panel, posted a cryptic tweet, asking fans to not float on imaginary ideas and accept reality.

Respect when other team wins instead of your favourite team: Irfan Pathan

“When MI was batting crazily few fans had some imaginary ideas, yesterday when Chennai won some fans again thinking on the same line. Guys, it’s good to be supporting your team, but when the other team is winning respect it, Admire how they play, and stop this imaginary nonsense!” Pathan wrote in a tweet.

When MI was batting crazily few fans had some imaginary ideas, yesterday when Chennai won some fans again thinking on the same line. Guys, it’s good to be supporting your team, but when the other team is winning respect it, Admire how they play and stop this imaginary nonsense!

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 11, 2021

Apparently, Pathan took a dig at the section of fans who believed the Qualifier 1 was fixed. ‘Fixing’ started trending on Twitter after CSK clinched the high-voltage clash. Although Pathan didn’t really mention the fixing part, his message and ideology were evident behind the post.

For the unversed, Mumbai Indians, in their last league-stage game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, needed to record a victory of at least 171 runs. Although winning by such a massive margin is near impossible, Ishan Kishan gave MI a flying start. At the time too, many fans believed the game is scripted and MI would pull off the unimaginable task.

However, that didn’t happen as MI’s margin of victory was just 42 runs. It’s pretty evident that Irfan doesn’t endorse the idea of living in ‘imaginations’. He also said that fans respect the other team even if it’s winning against the team they are supporting.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni CSK have now advanced to finals while DC will get a second chance to make a place in the summit clash. In Qualifier 2, they’ll meet the winner of Eliminator 1, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.