IPL 2022: 3 teams that can make Shikhar Dhawan their captain

With the Delhi Capitals opting not to retain senior opener and Indian Premier League (IPL) veteran Shikhar Dhawan, the 35-year-old is now free to chart a legacy for a new franchise. The southpaw, who has previously played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Deccan Chargers and the Mumbai Indians, might join a fifth team next IPL season.

Dhawan would consider himself unlucky to miss out on retention, with the last three seasons seeing him score above 500 runs on each occasion. Having led India on their tour of Sri Lanka earlier in 2021, as well as the Sunrisers Hyderabad briefly in 2013 and 2014, the Delhi batter has the experience for a young team to bank on.

With Dhawan still at peak fitness and in tremendous IPL form, there is a high chance for him to be a huge buy at the next IPL auction. In a 10-team IPL, experienced Indian players could be at a premium, thus increasing Dhawan's chances of being picked as a leader.

Here are three teams that could go for Shikhar Dhawan as their skipper.

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#3 Punjab Kings

KL Rahul was unable to lead Punjab Kings to better fortunes.

One of the least successful sides in the IPL, the Punjab Kings have infamously cycled through a large number of captains in their journey through the league. Incumbent skipper KL Rahul has had four superb years for the franchise with the bat, but could not reverse the team's fortunes as skipper and is thus rumored to be looking for a new team next season.

The departure of the high-profile Rahul from Punjab could open the doors for Dhawan, as a calm head who is also a consistent run-accumulator at the top of the order. With the other players in the team having very limited leadership experience, Punjab might get a new captain from the auction pool, and it might well be Dhawan.

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#2 Team Lucknow

The RPSG Group-owned Pune franchise took part in IPL 2016 and 2017.

One of the two new teams in IPL 2022, the Lucknow franchise is the first from the highly populous state of Uttar Pradesh in North India. In search of an identity, the Lucknow team, owned by the RPSG Group, could go for Dhawan as an icon player from North India.

Dhawan allows the franchise to secure both a senior, capped Indian player, and a gun opener in their team, such that they can build a team around him. One of the highest run-getters in the tournament's history, Dhawan will take the opportunity with both hands, with one eye on a prospective T20 World Cup 2022 berth.

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#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Could we see Dhawan back in orange next year?

The Sunrisers Hyderabad, a franchise Dhawan represented for several years, traded him off ahead of IPL 2019 for Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem. The decision has backfired colossally, with the southpaw dominating the run-scoring charts and the trio of players flattering to deceive for the Hyderabad franchise.

After their worst-ever season in the IPL, where they finished with a paltry three wins from 14 games es, the Sunrisers would do well to remember the impact Dhawan can still have at the top of the order and outbid their competition to get one of their most iconic players over the years back in the mix.