Virat Kohli's joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2008 quietly reshaped both the franchise and the league. Nearly two decades on, he remains the only player to have represented a single team throughout the tournament’s history, standing by RCB through lean patches before finally celebrating a long-awaited title last season. What makes that story more striking is what happened at the start. Fresh from leading India to the U19 World Cup, Kohli entered the uncapped draft, where his domestic home side franchise Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), had the first pick. They opted for left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan instead.
At the time, the call barely raised eyebrows. Kohli was promising, but not yet the force he would become. With hindsight, though, it stands out as one of the league’s biggest what-ifs. As Kohli grew into a run-machine and the face of modern Indian cricket, Delhi’s decision has often been revisited as a rare misstep that altered IPL history.
Virender Sehwag, who was Delhi's skipper in their first season, revisited early team balance, explaining why a young Kohli wasn’t picked in 2008. With an overloaded top order with the likes of Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Tilakratne Dilshan and Shikhar Dhawan, the side prioritised a bowling option, a call that continues to spark debate years later.
"So at Delhi Daredevils back in 2008, the inaugural IPL season, I remember Shikhar Dhawan was also in our team along with Tilakratne Dilshan. Both of them were openers, but we used to make them bat at three and five because Gautam 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. 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," Sehwag said on JioHotstar's 'Champions Waali Commentary'.
{{/usCountry}}"So at Delhi Daredevils back in 2008, the inaugural IPL season, I remember Shikhar Dhawan was also in our team along with Tilakratne Dilshan. Both of them were openers, but we used to make them bat at three and five because Gautam 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. 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," Sehwag said on JioHotstar's 'Champions Waali Commentary'.
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Virat Kohli leading Orange Cap race
Even in his 19th IPL season, Kohli is still going strong and is currently leading the Orange Cap race with 228 runs in 5 matches at an impressive strike rate of 158.33, as his runs at the top have been crucial for RCB in their title defence, which they have begun strongly with four wins in five matches.