Murali Kartik reveals why Sourav Ganguly did not want him to play for Chennai Super Kings

Murali Kartik has revealed that three-time winners Chennai Super Kings had shown interest in availing his services, but his former skipper Sourav Ganguly did not let him go. Kartik had played for the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders that was captained by Ganguly from 2008-2010.  The duo then played for the now-defunct Pune Warriors in the 2011 and 2012 editions respectively. 

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'I won't allow you': Murali Kartik on Sourav Ganguly

While interacting with Sportskeeda, Kartik said if 'Dada' played left-arm spinners well, then he (Kartik) would not have played for KKR in the first place. Recalling the 2011 season when the two were roped in by Pune Warriors, the veteran spinner mentioned that Sourav did not allow him to go to Chennai Super Kings. He then added that the CSK franchise had asked him whether he was interested to play for them and at the same time, they also had a word with the Pune franchise as well when star Indian all-rounder  Ravindra Jadeja had gone in the transfer window that year. However, Ganguly was adamant and said that he would not let the left-arm spinner go. 

Furthermore, the senior bowler added that the current BCCI President had made him play against CSK at Pune because his ex-captain was insistent that he plays. Recalling that contest, Kartik said that he was not keeping well. The southpaw hoped there is footage of that game where he is playing with a full-sleeves sweater because he was having a fever on that particular day. 

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Murali Kartik's career at the highest level

In his international career from 2000 to 2007, Kartik had featured in eight Test matches and 37 One Day Internationals for India. As he could not succeed in cementing his place in the national side due to tough competition from other spinners as well as individual performances, he decided to focus on County cricket where he played for teams like Lancashire, Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey, etc.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer has also played in IPL as well. He had represented three teams in the cash-rich league - Two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (2008-2010), the now-defunct Pune Warriors India (2011-2012), three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (2013), and Kings XI Punjab (2014) where they had finished as the finalists.

(Image Courtesy: AP)