2 min readMar 19, 2026 06:38 PM IST
Glamorous team parties have been in vogue in Indian cricket ever since the IPL rose in popularity over the last two decades. Post-match celebrations weren’t exactly boring before the IPL’s inception either, not if one could get a senior like Rahul Dravid to dance and even find out he was good at it too.
Former India pacer S Sreesanth opened up on the team party culture in Indian cricket ahead of the IPL 2026 season. Reflecting on his early playing days with the national side, Sreesanth said that a heft of veterans meant the party culture was a bit of a bore, until they got Dravid to shake a leg.
“It was the opposite in our times. Two or three would sleep, and the rest would party. Sachin paaji would sleep soon, and Rahul Dravid also sometimes. Ganguly would always be in the room. We would sometimes force Rahul Dravid. Like if it was a big series, like we beat Pakistan in Pakistan under his captaincy, it was my first away series. That day, we all enjoyed together,” he said on ‘Cheeky Singles’.
“Rahul bhai dances really well,” revealed Sreesanth. “Of course, I am there, there is no one like me,” the two-time World Cup winner added.
Sreesanth, who was the top Indian wicket-taker in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, also recounted how he gate-crashed a party after the final between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals that season.
“There was a party after the final between Rajasthan and Chennai in 2008. I was not invited to the party, but I had gone for the Purple Cap or something. Shane Warne and other legends were partying, so I also went. I had gone because I thought that if Tanvir did not pick wickets, then I would have gotten the Purple Cap,” he said.
