Former CSK batsman S Badrinath has come up with a new revelation about the team in the IPL inaugural session. According to Badrinath, surprisingly, MS Dhoni was not the first chosen captain for the franchise instead it was Indian opener Virendra Sehwag.
Badrinath used his YouTube channel as a medium to speak on this topic. He says that CSK first identified Sehwag as the captain of the team. However, Viru decided to stay with Delhi, a team that he had also represented in the past competitions.
“IPL started in 2008, and if you see who was the first option for Chennai Super Kings, it was Virender Sehwag,” Badrinath said. “The management had decided on picking Sehwag for sure, but Sehwag himself said that he was brought up in Delhi, so he would have a better connection.
“The management agreed for him to play in Delhi, thinking it would be better. Then came the auctions, and they saw who was the better player, and before that India won the 2007 World T20. And only then did they decide to sign Dhoni.”
“In 2008, MS Dhoni was the most expensive player, they bought him for INR 6 crores. So, this is a story you probably don’t know but Dhoni was picked instead of Sehwag. According to me, MS Dhoni coming to CSK was killing three birds with one stone. One, he is one of the best captains the world has ever seen. There is no trophy that he doesn’t have.”
“Second, the best finisher. A finisher is a very important part of all the best T20 teams around the world. Even if you see all the good teams today, Mumbai Indians have Pollard, Kolkata Knight Riders have Andre Russell, CSK has MS Dhoni. And third, he is an excellent wicketkeeper. One of the best and safest keepers I have ever seen.”