IPL 2022 Auction: 3 teams that may not target Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan may not be a regular face to be seen in the Indian jersey anymore, but he still continues to make waves with his cricket bat. Year after year, Dhawan continues to prove why he's one of the best in the business out there by smashing the best of bowlers to all corners of the park.
Representing the Delhi Capitals, the southpaw has displayed some extraordinary bits of batting in the last few seasons.
Dhawan amassed 587 runs in 16 games during IPL 2021 and a massive 618 runs in 17 matches during IPL 2020. He was also the highest run-getter for DC in IPL 2019, 2020 as well as 2021.
While it was surprising to see Dhawan not being retained by the Delhi Capitals despite his match-winning performances, it's certain that he will fetch a great price in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Teams that might not buy Shikhar Dhawan in IPL 2022
Having represented India for many years now, Shikhar Dhawan brings massive experience with him. The destructive opener has carried the batting burden of the Delhi Capitals for over three seasons now, and has been the team's highest run-scorer in all three IPL seasons since 2019.
Despite his proven exploits with the bat, there might be franchises that wouldn't be interested in signing the southpaw into their squad for IPL 2022. Today, we try to predict three such teams along with the reasons why they might not be interested.
#1 Chennai Super Kings
At 36 years of age, Shikhar Dhawan definitely doesn't have many years of cricket left in him. While his current form with the bat doesn't bear any indication towards his age, franchises would be vary of the age factor Dhawan brings to the table.
Chennai Super Kings, looking to shed off their "Dad's Army" tag, will aim to build a young squad during the IPL 2022 auction. While they would have loved to sign Shikhar Dhawan as Ruturaj Gaikwad's opening partner for next season, the destructive opener's age could potentially hold them back from doing so.
#2 Rajasthan Royals
Having retained their captain Sanju Samson and Yashaswi Jaiswal, Rajasthan Royals seem to be the only team to have their opening combination sorted even before the auction begins.
While they would love to slot in Shikhar Dhawan as an opener, it wouldn't be a very wise decision to move Samson and Jaiswal from their preferred batting spots. Shikhar Dhawan may thus be overlooked by the Jaipur franchise during the IPL 2022 mega auction.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore are traditionally a team that prefers young talent. Having groomed players like Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal and many more from a very young age, the franchise might not be very keen on signing Shikhar Dhawan owing to his age of 36.
Even though the Bangalore franchise will look to acquire openers from the auction pool, it's likely that the players preferred will be upcoming youngsters. After receiving rich dividends by backing Devdutt Padikkal, RCB will look to encourage a lot more youngsters, and may hence not be interested in acquiring Shikhar Dhawan's services for the 2022 season.