On second thoughts, has Shikhar Dhawan got his due credit in IPL?
The 34-year-old Delhiite has been one of the select few players to have played all the seasons of IPL since its inception in 2008. He has not only been part of all the seasons of IPL but has also been one of the most consistent run-getters in IPL. In his 12-year IPL career, he has represented four teams so far and has scored 4579 runs with 37 fifty-plus scores.
Shikhar Dhawan in IPL
| Inns | Runs | Ave | SR | 50s/100s | HS |
| 158 | 4579 | 33.4 | 125 | 37/0 | 97* |
His run tally of 4579 places him in the fifth position in the all-time leading run-getters list in IPL. He has scored 37 half-centuries which is the second-highest by an Indian and the third most in IPL after David Warner [44] and Suresh Raina [38].
Top Run getters in IPL
| Player | Inns | Runs |
| Virat Kohli | 169 | 5412 |
| Suresh Raina | 189 | 5368 |
| Rohit Sharma | 188 | 4898 |
| David Warner | 126 | 4706 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 158 | 4579 |
When it comes to batting in IPL, Dhawan prefers posting a total as compared to chasing one. Although he has scored more runs when batting first, his strike rate remains the same irrespective of the innings he bats.
Shikhar Dhawan Batting 1st vs 2nd in IPL
| Innings | Runs | Ave | SR | Bound% |
| Batting 1st | 2667 | 31.7 | 125 | 58.0 |
| Batting 2nd | 1912 | 35.4 | 125 | 58.7 |
As an opener, the southpaw is expected to capitalize in the powerplay and he has done just that. The majority of his runs have come in the first six overs at a strike rate of 121. There have not been many instances of him lasting till the end of the innings, but when he does, he ensures to leave a mark.
Also Read: On second thoughts, is David Warner the greatest IPL player?
Shikhar Dhawan Phase wise in IPL
| Overs | Runs | Ave | SR | Dot% | Bound% |
| 1-6 | 2383 | 36.1 | 121 | 44.5 | 65.5 |
| 7-15 | 1766 | 29.9 | 123 | 30.3 | 48.4 |
| 16-20 | 430 | 33.0 | 155 | 27.7 | 59 |
Dhawan has always been an impactful player for his team and the stats illustrate the same. His performance is directly proportional to the success of his team. He has scored 2599 runs, almost 57% of his IPL career runs when his team have won the match.
Dhawan’s impact on match outcome
| Result | Runs | Ave | SR |
| Win | 2599 | 40.0 | 129 |
| Loss | 1980 | 27.1 | 119 |
Although he started his IPL career in Delhi, it was in Hyderabad where he found the maximum success. He aggregated 2518 runs at an average of 34.5 and was part of the title-winning team in 2016. He also ended up as the second leading run-getter for SRH in their maiden IPL triumph after their captain David Warner.
Shikhar Dhawan in IPL – By team
| Team | Inn | Runs | Ave | SR | 50s/100s | HS |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 85 | 2518 | 34.5 | 124 | 19/0 | 92* |
| Deccan Chargers | 29 | 969 | 37.3 | 129 | 7/0 | 95* |
| Delhi Capitals* | 30 | 861 | 35.9 | 127 | 9/0 | 97* |
| Mumbai Indians | 14 | 231 | 16.5 | 107 | 2/0 | 56 |
*Current Team
Post his tenure in SRH, Dhawan made a comeback to his home team, Delhi Capitals in 2019. His comeback season in Delhi after 10 years was a stupendous success. He scored 521 runs at a strike rate of 135 and ended as the leading run-getter for his team and fourth highest in the season. His highest score in IPL, 97* came in the last season too when he successfully helped his team chase a total of 179 against KKR.
501, 479. 497 and 521. These are the total number of runs scored by Dhawan since 2016 in each season of IPL. Not many know for a fact that since IPL 2016, Dhawan has ended up among the top five run-getters list three times. If he is able to recreate his performance from IPL 2019 or at least come close to doing that, Delhi Capitals have a very good chance of lifting their maiden IPL title.
Disclaimer: The above-mentioned stats were taken before the start of IPL 2020