“Captaincy option secured” - Twitterati react after Shikhar Dhawan is sold to Punjab Kings for ₹8.25 crore at IPL 2022 Auction

Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has been purchased by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹8.25 crore on Day 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The 36-year-old, who was the first player to go under the hammer, had a base price of ₹2 crore and was part of the marquee set. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were among the franchises involved in a bidding war for the experienced left-hander. In the end, PBKS acquired his services for ₹8.25 crore.

Dhawan represented DC in the last couple of IPL seasons and had impressive returns. He smashed 618 runs in 17 matches during the 2020 season at an average of 44.14 and a strike rate of 144.73. The southpaw also became the first player to strike consecutive hundreds in the T20 league.

In the 2021 edition, he scored 587 runs in 16 matches at an average of 39.13 and a strike rate of 124.62.

Twitter reactions to PBKS purchasing Dhawan

Twitterati reacted to the news of PBKS purchasing Dhawan for ₹8.25 crore with some interesting posts. Some claimed the franchise had found their captain while others pointed out that Punjab would have a strong opening pair of Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions:

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Shikhar Dhawan’s overall IPL record

Dhawan is among a handful of players who have played in each and every edition of the IPL since its inception in 2008. He has featured in a total of 192 matches, amassing 5784 runs at an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 126.64. He has two hundreds and 44 fifties to his credit.

The 36-year-old is second on the list of batters with the most runs in the IPL. Only former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli (6283) has scored more runs than Dhawan in the Indian T20 League.

Apart from Delhi, the opener had earlier represented the Deccan Chargers (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.