IPL 2023: Not MS Dhoni! CSK wanted to buy THIS marquee Indian player in inaugural auction

MS Dhoni will be seen in action on the 22-yard cricket strip in the forthcoming IPL 2023 edition, which kicks off on March 31. Dhoni remains a big name in world cricket despite hanging up his boots at the highest level in mid-2020, with a stellar career with over 10,000 runs in ODIs, close to 5,000 Test runs, 634 catches, 195 stumpings and leading India to all three major ICC titles.

Dhoni will lead the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 16. CSK is a huge brand and a major credit of the franchise's success goes to the former Indian captain. He has been associated with the Yellow Army since the inaugural season, in 2008, and remains their poster boy. Dhoni-CSK's story is one-for-the-ages as the former is from Jharkhand but got accepted in a jiffy from the Chennai crowd ever since he got roped in by the team owners in inaugural IPL auction.

However, Dhoni wasn't CSK's first-choice. In the past, while speaking on his Youtube channel, former CSK batsman Subramaniam Badrinathrevealed that the franchise had initially zeroed in onbuying Virender Sehwag and not Dhoni.

"The CSK management had decided (before IPL 2008) on picking Sehwag, but Sehwag himself said that he was brought up in Delhi, so he would have a better connection (with Delhi Daredevils). The management agreed for him (Sehwag) to play in Delhi, thinking it would be better. Then came the auctions, and they saw who was the better player. Before that India won the 2007 World T20. And only then did they decide to sign Dhoni,” Badrinath said.

Dhoni has led CSK to four IPL and two Champions League (CLT20) titles. Under Dhoni, the Chennai franchise reached the playoffs in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 before missing out on the last-four in 2020 and 2022 (with Ravindra Jadeja leading in the first eight games). He has scored 4,978 runs in the IPL, with 4,404 coming for CSK with 22 fifties (out of 24 overall).

Dhoni-led CSK will play the IPL 2023 opener, where they will face defending champions Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 31.