Almost a decade after he first left the team, Delhi-boy Shikhar Dhawan has rejoined Delhi Daredevils after ending his association with Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-handed opener returns to his hometown, with Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma heading to Hyderabad as part of the exchange deal.
Sunrisers released a statement on his departure, which 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. We 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. We 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 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
“The franchise has made the decision to trade Shikhar as they feel it is best for both parties. Sunrisers value the great contribution that Shikhar has made over the years, and saddened that due to the financial reasons, he feels it’s time to move on. We wish him and his family all the best,” the statement added.
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Dhawan began his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils, featuring for them in the 2008 campaign. In the debut season, he was the third highest-run getter his team with 340 runs. But just one season into the tournament, he shifted to Mumbai Indians.
Brace yourselves, for he has returned, where it all began!
Welcome Home, Shikhar Dhawan. 🙌#DilDilli #Dhadkega pic.twitter.com/LFGMxs1bEk
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) November 5, 2018
Gabbar’s time with Mumbai wasn’t great, as he only managed 15 matches in his two seasons at the team. Then came a shift to now defunct Deccan Chargers, and in the two seasons with the team, he enjoyed tremendous success.
After Deccan Chargers were terminated, Sunrisers came in their place, and Dhawan joined them. In his six-year stay with the team, he was amongst the runs as Sunrisers won the tournament in 2016, before finishing as runners-up in 2018.