3 biggest captaincy blunders from Shikhar Dhawan so far in IPL 2023
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most iconic players in IPL history, scoring 6,593 runs at an average of 35.83 and a strike rate of 127.16 in 214 matches. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the IPL, behind Virat Kohli, who has scored 7,043 runs.
Dhawan has been part of numerous franchises in his illustrious IPL career, starting with the Mumbai Indians (MI), followed by stints with the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals), Hyderabad Deccan Charges, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), and back again in Delhi before being picked up by PBKS ahead of the 2022 season.
He was an integral part of the SRH team that won the title in 2016 while also making the final with MI in 2010 and DC in 2020.
Dhawan had five seasons scoring above 500 runs and breached the 600-mark in 2020 when he became the first batter in the IPL to score back-to-back centuries.
While his batting has been impressive throughout his IPL career, Dhawan has been found wanting a few times as a captain. He joined the Hyderabad franchise in 2011 and was appointed as captain ahead of the Champions League T20 in 2013.
SRH failed to make it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2013, despite which Dhawan started as captain of the side in the following IPL season in 2014.
However, after 10 games in which the side won just four and lost six, he was replaced by two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Darren Sammy for the remaining four games of the season as SRH missed out on playoff qualification.
Shikhar Dhawan was appointed as the full-time captain of the Punjab-based franchise this year, replacing Mayank Agarwal for the role, as they look to resurrect from a disastrous previous eight years of missing out on the playoffs.
Under the 37-year-old, PBKS have had a decent season thus far, winning five and losing six in their 11 games. Dhawan missed three games in the middle, and Sam Curran took over the captaincy duties, leading the side to two wins and three losses.
Some of PBKS' defeats this season can be attested to questionable moves on and off the field by their skipper.
Let's look at the three biggest captaincy blunders from Shikhar Dhawan this season.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan under bowling Harpreet Brar against KKR
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan made a baffling decision not to bowl Harpreet Brar for a second over after he had bowled a sensational first over in the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on May 8.
The slow-left-arm-orthodox bowler from Meerut had conceded just four runs and picked up the wicket of the dangerous Jason Roy for 38 in his first over to bring PBKS back into the game.
However, the 27-year-old was not bowled due to the presence of two left-handers, Nitish Rana, and Venkatesh Iyer, before it became too late in the innings.
It proved costly as the KKR batters, led by Rana and Andre Russell, romped home to a thrilling last-ball victory by five wickets.
The decision raised eyebrows since the pitch was helping spinners, evidenced by the fact that fellow spinner Rahul Chahar ended up with figures of 2/23 in his four overs.
Brar has been impressive in limited opportunities through the season, with five wickets at an economy rate of just 7.39 runs per over.
#2 The non-inclusion of Sikandar Raza after his heroics against CSK
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) had arguably their best win of the season when they pulled off a remarkable run-chase against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on April 30.
The hero of the game, Sikandar Raza, scored the winning runs, maneuvering the field to score the three runs required off the last ball off Matheesha Pathirana.
Coming to bat at no.8, Raza showed his versatility and composure by scoring 13 runs off seven deliveries under immense pressure. He also picked up the crucial wicket of CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad to break the 86-run opening partnership.
However, despite his heroics, Raza has been left out of PBKS' playing XI in the last two games against the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders in favor of Matthew Short and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, respectively.
The decision was made to look even more egregious when Dhawan admitted post-game after the defeat to KKR on their lack of an off-spinner to bowl to left-handers.
Although Raza hasn't set the world on fire this season, his incredible form with bat and ball over the past year should have warranted a longer rope. He can bowl off-spin and bat in different positions in the batting order, which has been sorely missed in PBKS' last two matches, resulting in defeats.
#3 The decision to bowl Arshdeep Singh the last over against MI
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan made some debatable calls in the team's heartbreaking loss to the Mumbai Indians in Mohali on May 3.
Despite scoring a mammoth 214/3 in their 20 overs, PBKS ended up on the wrong side of the result as MI chased the target with seven balls to spare.
The match saw left-arm-seamer Arshdeep Singh finish with figures of 1/66 in 3.5 overs, the fifth worst figures in IPL history, including 16 runs off the final three balls of the 17th over that proved to be game-changing.
It is also worth noting that Rishi Dhawan had bowled three overs for just 20 runs and picked up the key wicket of Rohit Sharma but wasn't given to bowl his final over.
Questions were raised about Dhawan sticking with the youngster after he had conceded 37 runs off his first two overs.