Did You Know? 'MS Dhoni Was Not The First Choice As A Captain For CSK In 2008', Reveals S Badrinath

What if CSK would have picked someone else as a captain instead of MS Dhoni aka 'Thala'. Well, the management had some other option in mind to lead the 'Whistle Podu' team, Read on to know about the revelation made by S Badrinath.

One of the most loved franchises in the Indian Premier League is the Chennai Super Kings and the major reason for being the all-time favourite is 'Thala'-MS Dhoni.  Though fans immensely love their CSK captain you will be shocked to know that MSD was not the first choice as the team captain when the IPL started.

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Former CSK batsman S Badrinath made this new revelation about the team in the inaugural season of the IPL. It was then that MS Dhoni was chosen as the captain, to lead the team, and remains at the top of affairs till now. But surprisingly, Dhoni wasn't the first choice captain for the franchise, but it was former India opener Virender Sehwag.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Badrinath said that CSK had identified Sehwag as the captain, but the latter decided to stay with Delhi, a team he represented in domestic competitions also. “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.

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“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."

S Badrinath opined that MS Dhoni signing for CSK had three huge advantages. First was that he was a brilliant tactician and due to his excellent reading of the game, was one of the best captains to have ever played the game.

The second was that he was a great finisher, something that was crucial for teams to have, especially in the shortest format of the game. And the third advantage was that he was a brilliant wicketkeeper though his style was unconventional.

Chennai Super Kings will play against Mumbai Indians on 19th September in the inaugural match of IPL 2020 which is being held in UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic.