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DDCA honours India stars but DPL brand ambassador Virender Sehwag missing
While Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant got a cheque of Rs 75 lakh each for being part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, Ishant Sharma was given Rs 51 lakh for completing 100 Test matches. Shikhar Dhawan also got Rs 51 lakh for ‘Excellence in Cricket’
19 Aug, 2024
Though the inauguration of the Delhi Premier League took place with much fanfare at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds of Arun Jaitley Stadium, with stars like Badhshah and Sonam Bajwa performing on stage and India cricket stars like Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan being present on the occasion, the absence of Virender Sehwag was conspicuous.
Sehwag, the former India captain and batting star is the brand ambassador of the league and interacted with the media freely during the launch function on August 2. He was showcased as the face of the Delhi Premier League.
However, the 45-year-old was missing from Saturday’s opening ceremony that preceded the inaugural match.
“He was out of town and therefore, couldn’t come. If he were here, he would have attended the opening ceremony and the DDCA would have also presented him with a cheque like it handed out to four others,” said Ashok Sharma, a DDCA Director.
“Sehwag has opted to be the brand ambassador of the Delhi Premier League free of charge. He is not charging anything,” said Sharma.
However, it is likely that the DDCA will honour him with a hefty cheque as it did to four others.
While Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who led Purani Dilli-6 in the opening match, each got a cheque of Rs 75 lakh for being part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, Ishant Sharma was given Rs 51 lakh for completing 100 Test matches. Shikhar Dhawan, the co-owner of South Delhi Superstarz, also got Rs 51 lakh for ‘Excellence in Cricket’. The cheque for Kohli was collected by his brother Vikas.
The DDCA had, in 2012, promised 100 gold coins to Sehwag for playing 100 Tests. However, those 100 gold coins were not paid and that has led to severe criticism of the DDCA in the past.
An official of the DDCA said that it is likely that Sehwag would be paid either Rs 51 lakh or Rs 1 crore in place of the promised 100 gold coins.
Tags : Virender Sehwag, DDCA, Delhi Premier League, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan