IPL 2019: 3 reasons why Delhi Daredevils should not appoint Shikhar Dhawan as captain
Shikhar Dhawan, who is the highest run-scorer for Sunrisers Hyderabad with 2768 runs in 91 innings, will not play for the franchise anymore. The Indian opener has been traded to Delhi Daredevils in exchange for Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma.
Dhawan was unhappy with Sunrisers for not retaining him before the auction of 2018. He was bought back by the Hyderabad-based franchise in the auction through Right to Match for INR 5.2 crore. The southpaw was reportedly unhappy with the price tag, which relatively to the what his Indian team members were earning in the tournament.
Confirming the reports that have been making rounds for a while, last season finalists have made it official with a press release. The statement read: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce that one of our long-standing players, Shikhar Dhawan, will be playing for another franchise in 2019. The Sunrisers Hyderabad were delighted to pick Shikhar up in the auction after using one of its RTM cards. Unfortunately, it has become apparent that the player has been unsettled ever since with the amount he was bought for in the auction, which we cannot rectify due to IPL rules."
"The franchise has made the decision to trade Shikhar as they fell it is best for both the 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," the statement concluded.
While Sunrisers Hyderabad were the table-toppers in the league stage during 2018 IPL, Delhi Daredevils were at the bottom of the table after their 14 league matches. The Delhi-based franchise will hope that the inclusion of Dhawan will bring good fortunes to their side.
Even before the 2018 season, the Daredevils made a similar welcome of much bigger grandeur. The return of the dashing Delhi left-hander Gautam Gambhir was celebrated by the franchise.
We all know how the much-celebrated return of Gambhir in the previous season ended for Delhi. If the Daredevils do not want a repeat of 2018, they should not consider the option of handing over the captaincy to Dhawan in the 2019 season. Here are three reasons why the franchise should look at a different option for the captaincy slot.
#3 Dhawan's below-par batting numbers as captain
With 4058 runs across 11 seasons, Dhawan is the sixth highest run-getter in the Indian Premier League. He has an average of 33.26 and has always been the player who provides stability at the top.
During his captaincy tenure, Dhawan the batsman also took back seat. In those 10 matches, he averages just 21.50 which is much less than his overall average.
After Dhawan's failure as a batsman in those 10 matches, he was relieved of the captaincy duties. Without the captaincy burden, he was a much better player as he scored his two half-centuries of the tournament in the remaining four matches.
While his average for the first ten matches was 21.50, his average zoomed up to 54.00 for the last four fixtures. It would ideal for Delhi to allow the opener to play freely without the inhibitions that might arise due to captaincy.