Time for Shikhar Dhawan to take his IPL captaincy?

Shikhar Dhawan used to be one of the silent stars of the Indian Premier League. The opening hitter is the second-highest goalscorer in tournament history with 5784 runs in 192 games. His half-century list of 44 is second only to David Warner, and southpaw also has 2 centuries to credit him, which comes in games back in the 2020 season. Interestingly, several seasons. His best has come in the last three years, since joining Delhi Capitals on a transfer. His impact has been huge at the top of the order, which has seen the rejuvenation franchise hit the playoffs in all three seasons.

But this is not something new. Dhawan spent six seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he formed one of the league’s most successful opening partnerships with Aussie great Warner. Dhawan won an IPL with SRH in 2016 and remains the franchise’s second highest grossing player to date.

But somehow his efforts, not only within the IPL but also for Team India, never translate into a leadership role with any of the IPL teams. He has taken on the role of captain at both SRH and DC and looked very comfortable in the role, but was never considered the choice to lead a team.

With his national team commitment at an all-time low, after falling out of favor in both the Test and the T20Is, Dhawan will be looking to prove himself once again, not just as a player as a tennis player but also as a leader. This is an opportunity for several teams that are looking for a new leader. If Dhawan is not retained by Delhi Capitals, then there are opportunities for other franchises, including two new franchises, to look to Dhawan in a leadership role.

Dhawan is no doubt keen to return to the Indian colors in oversized limited formats and the IPL is his vehicle to claim a spot on the team. Not only Dhawan, there are also senior Indian cricketers such as Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane who can also be considered as capable candidates for the captaincy because of their vast experience.

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Players like KL Rahul and Sanju Samson performed brilliantly despite being captains, but they were unable to deliver results for their teams. As a result, this massive auction could open the door to some unexpected picks and picks in the upcoming season.