Watch: Harbhajan Singh calls MS Dhoni's fanbase 'real', accuses others of 'paid fans and PR'; Virat Kohli's fans react

Harbhajan Singh calls MS Dhoni's fanbase 'real', accuses others of 'paid fans and PR'; Virat Kohli's fans react

MS Dhoni enjoys unreal fandom as we witness every season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni, who has announced retirement from international cricket long time back, now only plays in the IPL and fans ensure to create an atmosphere, which the veteran wicketkeeper-batter himself acknowledged a few weeks earlier. Ahead of the IPL encounter between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Dhoni spoke about the love he gets from the fans.

Discussing about Dhoni's future in IPL and the fandom he enjoys, Harbhajan Singh mentioned that the CSK veteran is the only cricketer, who has a "real fan base", while others rely on "paid fans and PR".

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"He (Dhoni) can play as long as he can. Had it been my team, I would have made a different decision. Fans will want him to continue playing. I feel he has a real fan base; the rest are all on social media, which are even paid fans. Leave them out, because if we start discussing that, the discussion will go in a different direction," said Harbhajan on Star Sports.

Aakash Chopra, who was also part of the discussion, was left in split with Harbhajan's assessment and was quick to quip "Itna sach nehi bolna tha (You weren't supposed to be this honest)." Harbhajan responded by saying: "Someone had to."

The remarks by Harbhajan, however, didn't sit well for Virat Kohli's fans, who were quick to attack the ex-India spinner. Despite that a mixed reaction was observed on social media, with many also agreeing with the "Turbnator" - a moniker associated with Harbhajan. Here are few reactions:

harbhajan singhin-directly Targeted Virat fans? as Paid instagram fans#chinnaswamystadium #RcbvsKkr pic.twitter.com/KYZygETjbP
King Kohli Fan Page (@Hracingchannel) May 17, 2025

Bots ... right @harbhajan_singh ? https://t.co/li9p7iDYEh pic.twitter.com/aI8HES3C4B (@AaoHaveliPay) May 17, 2025

Harbhajan Singh this is Not PR this is Pyaar #ViratKohli #chinnaswamystadium #RCBvsKKR pic.twitter.com/R6ZxfElRQP
King Kohli Fan Page (@Hracingchannel) May 17, 2025

Harbhajan Singh MS Dhoni never paid for bots on social media. He has real fans and the biggest fandom. pic.twitter.com/XJpIsHHfNb ` (@WorshipDhoni) May 18, 2025

Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa, who has represented both RCB and CSK previously, also made a remark about fans recently, where he highlighted the hostility he has observed lately.