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In 2008, ahead of the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) had the golden opportunity to secure a young Virat Kohli, fresh off leading India to an Under-19 World Cup triumph.
Delhi Daredevils’ missed opportunity: The decision that could have changed IPL history
A Delhi native and an emerging cricketing prodigy, Kohli appeared to be the perfect fit for the franchise’s vision of building a strong local core. However, despite the alignment on paper, the franchise overlooked Kohli during the Under-22 draft. Instead, Delhi opted for left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan, a decision influenced by their desire to bolster the bowling attack rather than add another top-order batter to their already stacked batting lineup. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) snapped up Kohli, and the rest, as history shows, became an enduring legacy.
Fast forward to 2025, and Kohli continues to script history with RCB, standing as the only player to have represented a single franchise since the inception of the IPL. On Sunday, April 27, Kohli returned to his hometown for an IPL 2025 clash between RCB and Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, playing in front of the pavilion named after him. Fittingly, Kohli showcased his brilliance once again, guiding RCB to a convincing six-wicket win over the Capitals, further underlining how Delhi’s 2008 decision altered not just their own fortunes but potentially the entire landscape of the IPL.
Also WATCH: Virat Kohli and KL Rahul involve in heated exchange during DC vs RCB clash in IPL 2025
Virender Sehwag revisits the 2008 Draft: Why Delhi passed on Virat Kohli
The IPL’s inaugural season had a unique draft system for picking Under-19 players, and a total of 16 players, including Kohli, were up for selection. Delhi Daredevils, having already secured Virender Sehwag as their icon player and boasting a top-order lineup featuring Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers, felt their batting needs were well covered.
Speaking recently on Cricbuzz, Sehwag, who captained Delhi at the time, explained that the management prioritized bowling depth over batting. “We had enough batters What we lacked were bowlers,” Sehwag said. Delhi therefore chose Sangwan, a promising left-arm seamer, believing that variety in their bowling attack would serve them better. Sangwan and fellow young bowler Yo Mahesh did perform creditably that season, but Delhi’s decision to pass on Kohli has since become one of the most talked-about “what-ifs” in IPL history.
Also WATCH: Virat Kohli imitates KL Rahul’s ‘Kantara celebration’ post DC vs RCB match in IPL 2025
