Shikhar Dhawan will be back playing in his hometown in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the opening batsman was traded to Delhi Daredevils by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The India limited-overs stalwart’s future in the IPL has been subject to recent speculation with Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians also vying for his signature.
However, it is the Daredevils who have beaten Mumbai and Kings XI to Dhawan’s signature.
The Delhi franchise has traded three players – Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma – in the opposite direction in order to secure the services of Dhawan.
Dhawan was understood to be unhappy with his Sunrisers Hyderabad contract and was in negotiations with various franchises as he searched for a pay rise.
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
“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,” a statement from the Sunrisers read.
“The franchise has made the decision to trade Shikhar as they feel it is best for both parties. Sunrisers value 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,” it went on to add.
This will be Dhawan’s second stint with his hometown franchise. He had earlier represented the Daredevils in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008.
In 143 matches in the IPL, the left-hander has recorded 4,058 runs at an average of 33.36 with the help of 32 half-centuries.
