Virender Sehwag, a legendary Indian cricketer known for his explosive batting, recently revealed that he was offered a lucrative $100,000 contract to play in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. However, Sehwag declined the offer, stating that Indian cricketers are financially secure and do not need to participate in foreign leagues for monetary reasons.
Sehwag made this revelation during a conversation with Australian cricketing great Adam Gilchrist. The former Indian opener also expressed his belief that Indian players do not need to play in other T20 leagues because they have ample financial resources in India.
“No, Don’t need. We are rich people, we don’t go to poor countries for other leagues,” Sehwag said in a witty response to Gilchrist’s question about the possibility of Indian players participating in the BBL.
Sehwag then shared his own experience of turning down a BBL contract. “I still remember when I was dropped from the Indian team, I was playing IPL, then I got an offer from BBL that I should participate in Big Bash, I said okay how much money, they said $100,000. I said I can spend that money in my holidays, even last night bill was more than $100,000,” he revealed.
Sehwag is currently working as a pundit for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and has been providing expert analysis and opinions on the participating players and franchises. He recently backed Yashasvi Jaiswal for a spot in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, despite the young opener’s inconsistent form this season.
