IPL 2020: Dhoni not captain as Virender Sehwag was the first choice of Chennai Super Kings: Badrinath

new Delhi
Former Team India cricketer Subramanian Badrinath (S Badrinath) has revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni) was not the first choice of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as captain. He has claimed that the team management wanted Virender Sehwag to be the captain. Badrinath said that Sehwag wanted to play with his state (Delhi) team.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), you cannot imagine Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni). Chennai is like a second home for Dhoni. Dhoni has been with Chennai since 2008. Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings can be said to be complementary. His team has won the IPL title three times. That team has been runner-up five times.

If Badrinath is believed, then the picture of IPL could have been different. Badrinath said, “The IPL started in 2008 and if you look, the first choice for Chennai Super Kings was Virender Sehwag. The team management decided that Sehwag had to join the team and become the captain. But Sehwag himself said that he grew up in Delhi and in such a situation he will have a better connection with Delhi.

When Sehwag was not ready, Badrinath also mentioned that when India won the World T20 in 2007, Srinivasan had made up his mind on one thing.

He said, ‘The team management agreed to Sehwag to play in Delhi, he thought it would be better. Then came the auction process and they saw which player would be better and before that India won the World T20 of 2007. So the team management signed Dhoni.

Dhoni was bought for US $ 1.5 million (then Rs 6 crore) in the first auction. He was the most expensive player at that year’s auction.

He said, ‘Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the most expensive player in 2008. The team bought him for six crores. Many people may not know this story but Dhoni was chosen in place of Sehwag. Dhoni’s arrival in Chennai gave the team management three advantages. First, he is the best captain in the world. There is no trophy that they have not won.

Secondly, ‘he is the best finisher. The role of finishers is very important in the world’s best T20 teams. Even today you see, Mumbai Indians have Karen Pollard, KKR have Andre Russell and Chennai have Dhoni. And third, he is a wonderful wicketkeeper. Dhoni is one of the best wicketkeepers I have seen.