'Didn’t Even Know How Much $750,000 Is' - When Rohit Recalled IPL Call-up With Chargers

Rohit Sharma played with Chargers until 2010 [X.com]

Before he became the face of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise as their mighty successful captain with five trophies in his rich cabinet, Indian opener Rohit Sharma plied his trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Deccan Chargers. 

Rohit was one of the shining lights of the now-defunct franchise and stayed with them until the 2010 edition of the marquee T20 league. Playing under Aussie legend Adam Gilchrist's captaincy, the Mumbaikar contributed handsomely to his team's only title victory back at the 2009 edition in South Africa. The Indian captain has a stellar IPL career, and is a 5-time winner with Mumbai Indians.

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Even though proudly dons the MI badge on his chest now, the 36-year-old has fond memories of being part of the Chargers franchise. It was the Hyderabad-based side which offered Rohit the first lucrative deal of his career, something he grins about today since he didn't know back then how much money he exactly went for. 

Rohit Sharma Recalls First IPL Deal 

Speaking to Star Sports in a preview show ahead of the IPL 2023 last summer, Rohit said he wanted to buy a luxury car with his bumper contract with the Chargers after IPL 2008 but the innocent lad didn't know at the time how much exactly the amount of $750,000 (INR 4.8 crores on current rate) is in rupees. 

"Firstly, I didn’t even know how much $750,000 is. A thing like the auction had never happened for us before and nobody even heard of it. My number came very late in the auction, probably after one and half hour," Rohit said of the inaugural IPL auction.  

"After I was sold, I was told that I was getting $750,000, I think it was 3 to 3.5 crore. But I was really happy and thought about which car should I buy. That was the planning I was doing! I was only 20 years-old at that time," he added. 

Rohit, whose CV with the Chargers also included a famous hat-trick against MI during the 2009 season, played a total of 28 matches for the disbanded franchise and hammered 766 runs at a strike-rate of 130.3.

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