'Thala for a reason' - The viral MS Dhoni social media trend explained

Soham Mukherjee

'Thala for a reason' - The viral MS Dhoni social media trend explained image

The internet is currently witnessing a delightful trend known as 'Thala for a Reason,' where fans of the legendary cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, fondly called 'Thala', are ingeniously associating his iconic jersey number 7 with diverse and whimsical facets of life.

Enthusiastic fans are linking the revered number 7 to a myriad of concepts, ranging from the seven colours of the rainbow to the seven sacred vows in a Hindu marriage. This imaginative wave extends to counting letters in names and film titles, all playfully falling under the banner of 'Thala for a reason.'

The cricketer himself has clarified that the significance of the number 7 lies in his birthdate, July 7, and holds a special place in his heart devoid of any superstitions.

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What did MS Dhoni say?

“A lot of people initially thought that 7 is a lucky number for me and all of that. But I chose the number for a very simple reason. I was born on the 7th of July. So it’s the 7th day of the 7th month, that was the reason,” Dhoni clarified during a virtual interaction held by India Cements.

“Rather than getting to all the different things as to what number is a good number and all, I thought I would use my date of birth as the number. Then whenever people kept asking me, I kept adding to the answer. 81 was the year, 8-1 is again 7, and 7 is a very neutral number. People kept telling me, I started absorbing it and I started telling it to others in the same way,” he further said.

How did social media react to 'Thala for a reason' trend?

 

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MS Dhoni's IPL salary progression since 2008

Having been retained by CSK for every single season, Dhoni was unsure whether he would play in 2024, although he did say he didn't want to say a premature goodbye when asked about his future in the presentation ceremony after the 2023 final.

If you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But with the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say 'Thank you very much,' but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another nine months and come back and play at least one more season of the IPL. A lot depends on the body; I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side; it’s not easy for me, but that’s a gift. The way they’ve shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them.

However, CSK's retention list confirmed that Dhoni will be donning the famous yellow jersey for at least another season.

As mentioned earlier, CSK signed Dhoni for $1.5 million (INR 6 Crore). He was the highest-paid player in the 2008 IPL auction, with his price surpassing the salary paid for the icon players. 

In IPL 2024, Dhoni will be paid INR 12 Crore. 

Year Team Salary (INR)
2008 CSK 6 Crore
2009 CSK 6 Crore
2010 CSK 6 Crore
2011 CSK 8.28 Crore
2012 CSK 8.28 Crore
2013 CSK 8.28 Crore
2014 CSK  12.5 Crore
2015 CSK 12.5 Crore
2016 RPS* 12.5 Crore
2017 RPS* 12.5 Crore
2018 CSK 15 Crore
2019 CSK 15 Crore
2020 CSK  15 Crore
2021 CSK 15 Crore
2022 CSK 12 Crore
2023 CSK 12 Crore
2024 CSK 12 Crore

By the end of IPL 2024, Dhoni's 17th season, he will have earned a total IPL salary of INR 188.84 Crores, averaging a salary of INR 11.11 Crore per season. 

All fans, not just CSK fans, will hope that Dhoni bids adieu in fashion if IPL 2024 is indeed going to be his last-ever season. Let's not forget that he is already 42 and will be just weeks away from turning 43 when the next edition of IPL finishes. 

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Soham Mukherjee

Soham Mukherjee  Photo

Soham Mukherjee is a content producer for The Sporting News' India edition.