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Michael Vaughan: ‘I’m Selling Virat Kohli for Big Money; Rohit Sharma is Dhoni’s Substitute

Picture this: There’s an IPL lineup with MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. Since day one, these three cricket superstars have defined the league. Seeing them all on the same team might seem like make-believe, but what if reality hit home? If you had to pick just one for your starting XI, one to sit out, and one to let go altogether? It’s a conundrum that recently exercised two greats of the game: former England captain Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist, ex-Australia wicketkeeper, both now known far and wide for their work as cricket pundits.

“It’s MS Dhoni for me. I don’t think there’s been anyone better at the game. Not even Virat Kohli gets in this team ahead of him. MS will be our captain as well—he is playing,” said Vaughan categorically. Dhoni, a two-time World Cup-winning skipper and joint-most successful IPL captain along with Rohit Sharma, is a colossus of the competition. No player has featured in more games (264); his 190 dismissals as keeper is also a record. The sixth-highest run scorer in IPL history with 5243 runs, an average of 39, and a strike rate of 137—even though the Indian hasn’t batted in the top five for several seasons, his influence on matches remains profound.”

When faced with a decision about whether to sell Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, Michael Vaughan did not shy away. “I’m going to release Virat. I’m going to release him because he never wins the IPL,” said Vaughan. “Rohit has won it six times. MS? How many? Five! So I’ll play MS, and release Virat. Rohit is my MS substitute.” Kohli, who has been with the Royal Challengers Bangalore since the tournament’s inception in 2008 but does not have an IPL title to his name, holds numerous records in the tournament: among them, most career runs scored (8,004 in 251 matches). The next best is Delhi Capitals’ Shikhar Dhawan (6,769 runs in 222 matches).

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The analyst felt selling Kohli to another franchise could be “good business” and fetch a sizeable transfer fee. “I can get a good load of cash for him. He’ll go somewhere else for a huge amount of money. That’s good business,” said Vaughan.Gilchrist agreed with Vaughan’s appraisal of how difficult the verdict is: “That’s well thought through. You’re splitting hairs; it’s tough on all, but that’s the job of a manager, isn’t it?” While it remains hard—as both men outlined—ultimately making these types of calls demonstrates just what robust choices one has managing a team packed full of stars.