Virender Sehwag has shared why Virat Kohli was not picked by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) before the first Indian Premier League season in 2008.
Why Delhi picked Pradeep Sangwan over Virat Kohli
Sehwag, who was the captain back then after being signed as an icon player, explained that the team already had too many top-order batters and needed more bowlers.
"So at Delhi Daredevils back in 2008, the inaugural IPL season, I remember Shikhar Dhawan was also in our team along with Tillakaratne Dilshan. Both of them were openers, but we used to make them bat at three and five because Gautam Gambhir and I used to open the innings. Manoj Tiwary had taken the number four spot. So we had a lot of top-order batters in the team, and it was becoming difficult to fit all of them in the batting order," Sehwag told Star Sports.
He added that Kohli was also a top-order batter at that time, which made things even more complicated.
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"At that time, Virat Kohli was also batting at number three or four. So we didn't even have space to bring him in. We lacked a bowler, so we decided to go with Pradeep Sangwan instead of Kohli," he added.
After not being picked by Delhi, Kohli was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for USD 50,000. Since then, he has stayed with the same franchise and is the only player in IPL history to represent one team in every season so far.
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Kohli has also gone on to become the highest run-scorer in IPL history, with more than 8,840 runs in 272 matches.
Meanwhile, Sangwan spent three seasons with Delhi. He had a decent but not outstanding run, taking 29 wickets in 28 matches. Later, he also played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Lions (GL).
RCB in IPL 2026
Coming back to the IPL 2026, defending champions RCB are currently the table toppers after registering a five-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants, and Virat Kohli currently holds the Orange cap, amassing 228 runs in five outings, including a highest score of unbeaten 69 runs.