Former India cricketer MS Dhoni has been with the Chennai Super Kings ever since its inception in 2008 and he will once again lead the CSK in the upcoming IPL 2022. The wicketkeeper-batsman has led the franchise to 4 IPL title wins so far and he is also the captain with most number of wins in IPL.
However, Dhoni wasn’t the first choice to lead for CSK, instead, the franchise wanted Virender Sehwag.
Former CSK batsman S Badrinath had made some bold claims about the franchise from the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Badrinath, while speaking on his YouTube channel, claimed that CSK had picked Sehwag as their skipper, however, later opted to stick with Dhoni.
"IPL started in 2008, and if you see who was the first option for Chennai Super Kings, it was Virender Sehwag. 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," Badrinath said.
"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," he added.
"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 have MS Dhoni. And third, he is an excellent wicketkeeper. One of the best and safest keepers I have ever seen," Badrinath further claimed.
Bought for Rs 6 crore, Dhoni ended up being the costliest buy of the inaugural auctions. Under his leadership, CSK have won four IPL titles - 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021 - and are one of the most consistent teams in the tournament's history.
So, it is safe to say that the management made the right decision to stick with Dhoni to lead the Yellow Army.
Meanwhile, CSK have retained Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2022 auction.
