Shikhar Dhawan is set to return home for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Delhi Daredevils has traded the India opener from Sunrisers Hyderabad for Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma.
The move would see Dhawan return to his hometown team for the first time since the inaugural season in 2008. The 32-year-old southpaw is the first player to be drafted in by the Delhi Daredevils for the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Sunrisers Hyderabad in a statement revealed that Dhawan had been “unsettled” with the amount he was bought for in the auction.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce, that one of our long-standing players, Shikhar Dhawan will be moving to another franchise in 2019. The Sunrisers were delighted to pick Shikhar up in the auction after using one of its RTM (right to match) cards earlier in the year. Unfortunately, it has become apparent that the player has been unsettled ever since with the amount he was bought for in the auction, which unfortunately we cannot rectify due to IPL rules. The franchise has made the decision to trade Shikhar as they feel it is best for both parties. Sunrisers value the great contribution that Shikhar has made over the years, and saddened that due to financial reasons, he feels it’s time to move on. We wish him and his family all the best,” said Sunrisers Hyderabad in a statement.
After retaining Bhuvneshwar Kumar and David Warner, Kings XI Punjab had bought Shikhar in the 2018 auction for Rs 5.2 crore before Sunrisers Hyderabad used the Right to Match (RTM) card and brought him back for the 11th season of the IPL.
A prolific opening batsman, Dhawan stands sixth on the IPL run-scoring table having scored 4,058 runs in 143 matches, at an average of 33.26 and a strike rate of 123.53. He was an important cog in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team over the past 6 seasons, captaining the team in 2014 and playing a crucial role during the team’s title-winning 2016 IPL run.
Welcoming the addition of Dhawan to the team, Parth Jindal, Director of Delhi Daredevils, said in a press release: “We are thrilled at the prospect of having Shikhar turn up in DD colours for the next season of the IPL. Shikhar has had a hugely successful IPL career and will be an invaluable addition to team DD with the wealth of experience he brings. The Delhi fans love seeing their local boys in action and we’re sure they will get lots to cheer for this season with players of Shikhar’s caliber in the team.”
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