Shikhar Dhawan is one of the most senior players in the Indian Premier League this season. Having played in all seasons of IPL since its inception in 2008, Dhawan is also one of the most successful batters in the league with 6244 runs in 206 games. This included a career-best of 106 and an average of 35.08. The numbers look impressive in themselves with Dhawan having a lot of records to his name. However, as the 16th season approaches, Dhawan has the opportunity to better his numbers and add yet another feat to his name.
A chance at a first
As Shikhar Dhawan enters into the 16th year of his IPL journey, he will have the opportunity to create a new record. Dhawan, who has been appointed the captain of Punjab Kings this season is on the verge of a special feat. If Dhawan scores more than 400 runs this season, he will become the first batter in the history of the Indian Premier League to have scored 400 runs in 10 different seasons of the league.
Dhawan has scored more than 400 runs in 9 seasons out of the 15 seasons to have taken place so far. Dhawan first hit the 400-run mark in the 2011 season and has not looked back from there. He then replicated the same performance the very next year by scoring 569 runs in 14 games. He then went on to perform the same on 7 more occasions by scoring 501 runs in 2016, 479 in 2017, 497 in 2018, 521 in 2019, 618 in 2020, 587 in 2021, and 460 in 2022.
Reflecting back on these numbers, one can know that despite his teams changing, Dhawan has been a consistent performer in the league. Even at 37 years of age, Dhawan is putting in his best and delivering every season. If Dhawan manages to cross the 400-run mark this season as well, he will be the only batsman to do so in 10 different seasons. The league has seen some great batters such as Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, etc but none of them have been able to achieve what Dhawan almost has.
A second chance for a first
Punjab Kings have appointed Dhawan as their captain for the upcoming season. As the supreme leader of the team, Dhawan also has the opportunity to lead the team to their first-ever trophy. Punjab Kings have never won the trophy in the 15 seasons of the IPL. The closest they have come to winning was in 2014 when the team lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.
This season, the team has some big stars in the season including Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada, Sikandar Raza, and others. As Punjab’s captain, Dhawan has the opportunity to create two unique records this season.
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