"Hello Punjab Kings" - Shikhar Dhawan's message to fans after joining the team for IPL 2022

Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has found a new home in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Auction as he moves to the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The 36-year-old cricketer, one of the league's all-time top-scorers, was not retained by the Delhi Capitals (DC) despite crucial contributions over the past two seasons.

Dhawan, who previously played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as well, will be heading to Punjab for the first time. The New Delhi-born cricketer is an important acquisition for the northern franchise and is likely to form a strong opening combination with fellow Indian top-order player Mayank Agarwal.

Fighting off strong competition from DC and the Rajasthan Royals, Punjab jumped late into the bidding but prevailed with a winning bid of INR 8.25 crore. Here's what Dhawan had to say after getting picked by the Punjab Kings in the auction.

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Dhawan had a strong IPL 2021 with DC

Dhawan was unlucky to miss out on retention after IPL 2021.

Since the 2016 season, Dhawan has either scored over 500 runs in a season or gotten close to the mark. In 2021, the southpaw notched up 587 runs and was in the top five run-getters once again. Unfortunately for him, his modest strike rate of 124 meant he did not feature among DC's retentions for the year.

The Punjab Kings have a huge hole to fill with the departure of KL Rahul, and Dhawan's consistency at the top might be exactly what they need. The experienced player also gives Punjab some support in the leadership group and might be what spurs the Mohali-based franchise onto a successful season after long.