"I Can Never Forget": Virender Sehwag Recalls Worries Ahead Of First Season Of IPL

Former Indian cricket team opener Virender Sehwag recalled how he was informed about the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the first season in 2008. In a recent interaction, the explosive batsman said that Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri told all the national team players about the tournament while they were in Australia and even marveled at the scale that IPL has achieved in the last 15 years. Sehwag was one of the biggest names in the competition and he was picked as the Delhi Daredevils skipper. 

“I can never forget the day we were briefed for the first time,” Sehwag said at a press conference organised by Star Sports to celebrate 15 years of the IPL. “We were in Australia. Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri approached us and said that there is this thing called the Indian Premier League that is going to happen, and they were asking us to give them all our rights.” 

“They made sure that we understand that it is going to become a very big league in the future,” Sehwag added. “Whatever rights you give to this league, you will be earning far more than what you are now.” 

Sehwag guided Daredevils to the knockout stage of the tournament in the first season and he lauded the tournament for providing platform to young talents who went on to play for the national side. 

“The money was a secondary factor of course, but at the time we never imagined that it would become such a big platform where new players will get chances and they will end up replacing us.”