After a gap of 11 years, Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is back with the Delhi Daredevils. Dhawan, who was a prominent figure of the Orange Army for the last few seasons, will represent the franchise of his hometown Delhi from IPL 2019 onwards.
Dhawan had spent one season with Daredevils in 2008. He had managed to score 340 runs in 14 matches for DD in that year.
The player also played for Mumbai Indians in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Alongside, Quinton de Kock, Dhawan becomes the marquee signing in the IPL trade window ahead of the auctions in December. This is a smart buy from DD, who want solidity in their batting.
Dhawan so far scored 4,057 runs from 143 matches at an average of 32.98. He has scored 32 fifties as well in the process. Here we analyse Dhawan’s situation from the start and whether it is beneficial for both franchises regarding his trade.
What happened regarding Dhawan?
Sunrisers had retained David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the 2018 auction. They used the Right to Match (RTM) card and paid Rs 5.2 crore for Dhawan, but that unsettled the Indian opening player. Besides Dhawan, the IPL 2018 finalists also used the RTM card for Rashid Khan and all-rounder Deepak Hooda.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan got Rs 9 crore and Deepak Hooda fetched Rs 3.6 crore via the RTM. So it was obvious that the southpaw was left unhappy.
What is RTM?
A right-to-match card gives the franchise the opportunity to buy back its player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over
SRH roped in three players in exchange for the celebrated left-hander. The 2016 champions got in the trio of Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem.
Dhawan, who played a key role in SRH’s rise over the years, wanted to be retained.
We have traded Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi Daredevils for Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma. We thank Shikhar for his contribution to the team over the years and wish him the very best. pic.twitter.com/oEqwJ61yw1
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 5, 2018
Brace yourselves, for he has returned, where it all began!
Welcome Home, Shikhar Dhawan. 🙌#DilDilli #Dhadkega pic.twitter.com/LFGMxs1bEk
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) November 5, 2018
Why was Dhawan unhappy?
The reason behind Dhawan’s unhappiness was that several other top players at SRH got better deals than him last season. According to reports, Dhawan was earning Rs. 5.2 crore last season as compared to Rs. 12.5 crore, two seasons back. That’s quite a significant fall as per the earnings are concerned.
Prior to that SRH had retained Dhawan and therefore he got a whopping amount. Seeing his pay scale drop despite performing consistently, hurt the player. It is natural for any player of his status to feel gutted. But despite the scenario, Dhawan played to his standards and never shied away from consistency.
He scored 497 runs in IPL 2018 and helped them reach the final. In the absence of Warner, the southpaw was the side’s anchor man and let Kane Williamson take centerstage. That bode well for the side and they achieved to to go afar in the league.
Dhawan reportedly also got frustrated after an argument with coach Tom Moody regarding the team’s retainment tactics.
Post the IPL, the player was reportedly holding talks with KXIP for a move, but they were offering just Rs. 1 crore more than what he was getting at SRH last season.
Earlier, it was stated that Mumbai Indians were also keen on him. The report had added that that Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma wanted to have Dhawan in the side. But DD trumped everyone.
What will Dhawan earn at Daredevils?
Delhi showed their need and acted smart in a pivotal situation. They showed the urge to get someone and pip two other sides to get the deal done. It spells positive for a side to get a locality from Delhi back. DD came into the picture and opted to offer the unhappy Dhawan a slightly better deal than KXIP.
Reports claim that Dhawan is set to earn in the region of Rs. 7 crore at his new franchise. That is beneficial for both parties. Given the monetary figure, that’s a significant rise for Dhawan. Dhawan had been a key player for SRH since he joined them in 2013. So DD get someone accustomed to the IPL.
Dhawan won the IPL title, with them, in 2016. Here is how he performed over the years at SRH since he joined the southern side in 2013.
| Year | Matches | Runs | Best | S/R | 50s |
| 2013 | 10 | 311 | 73* | 122.92 | 3 |
| 2014 | 14 | 377 | 64 | 118.18 | 2 |
| 2015 | 14 | 353 | 54 | 123.42 | 3 |
| 2016 | 17 | 501 | 82* | 116.78 | 4 |
| 2017 | 14 | 479 | 77 | 127.39 | 3 |
| 2018 | 16 | 497 | 92* | 136.91 | 4 |
Gain for both sides in Dhawan trade
To be honest both the franchises have benefitted from Dhawan’s trade. SRH no more have a player that is unhappy and with David Warner set to be back in season 12, they will be in a position of comfort.
No doubt that Dhawan’s stats show how much value he brought to the Orange Army brigade, but at the end of the day not everything is meant to end on a fairytale note. SRH are a consistent bunch and they still have enough firepower to handle any issues that could come their way in 2019.
Also the players they have got in the exchange are utility players and if the management can get the most out from them, then it is a plus. One should remember that SRH got most of not the big names last season. From Basil Thampi to that of Siddarth Kaul, players chipped in.
As for DD, the side has got in a proven star in their ranks. DD have plenty of options atop with Jason Roy, Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro and now Dhawan in the mix. All four bring several attacking qualities and Ponting’s side could now be soiled for choices.
DD need regular starts upfront and Dhawan can provide them the stability needed. That solves a lot od problems and eases the situation for the middle order.