Why Shikhar Dhawan Wanted to Leave Sunrisers Hyderabad

Shikhar Dhawan was not happy with the salary he was getting at Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s official statement claims Shikhar Dhawan wanted to leave the franchise due to his Rs 5.2 crore salary.

(Photo: PTI)

In the biggest off-season move ahead of IPL 2019 so far, Sunrisers Hyderabad have parted ways with their former skipper Shikhar Dhawan as he joins Delhi Daredevils. In the player trade, Delhi sent all-rounder Vijay Shankar, spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and the young Abhishek Sharma to Hyderabad.

Dhawan had been with Sunrisers since 2013 and was the team’s highest run-scorer with 2,768 runs in 91 innings. He is also the sixth-highest scorer with 4,058 runs in 143 matches in the history of IPL, at an average of 33.26 and a strike rate of 123.53.

So why trade one of their best players?

Because allegedly he wanted out.

“The Sunrisers were delighted to pick Shikhar up in the auction after using one of its RTM (right to match) cards earlier in the year. Unfortunately, it has become apparent that the player has been unsettled ever since with the amount he was bought for in the auction, which unfortunately we cannot rectify due to IPL rules.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad official statement

The team’s official statement claims that it became ‘apparent’ that Dhawan was ‘unsettled’ by the salary he was getting at the franchise and wanted to move out.

Salary Halved After 2018 Auction

While Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed the distinction of being Sunrisers’ highest-paid player with a salary of Rs 12.5 Crore in 2017, he was released from the team ahead of the 2018 player auction with the franchise electing to retain only David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

That however meant they had three Right to Match (RTM) cards going into the auction and they used it for Dhawan when Kings XI Punjab placed the highest bid of Rs 5.2 Crore.

Dhawan then effectively got a Rs 7.3 Crore pay-cut during the 2018 season, something Sunrisers say ‘unsettled him’.

This, when Ben Stokes bagged a massive pay day of Rs 12.5 crore and Jaydev Unadkat became the most-expensive Indian player at the auction, going to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 11.5 crore.

Back Where It Began

Dhawan now moves back to Delhi Daredevils where he started his IPL journey, playing for the team in the first season. Since then, he donned the Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers jerseys before signing with Sunrisers in 2013.

He joins a solid top order in Delhi that includes Prithvi Shaw, Jason Roy and Colin Munro, apart from Gautam Gambhir.

The Ricky Ponting-coached franchise will be hoping that Dhawan's arrival changes their falling fortunes.

"We are thrilled at the prospect of having Shikhar turn up in DD colours for the next season of the IPL. Shikhar has had a hugely successful IPL career and will be an invaluable addition to team DD with the wealth of experience he brings," Delhi Daredevils director Parth Jindal said in a statement.

"The Delhi fans love seeing their local boys in action and we're sure they will get lots to cheer for this season with players of Shikhar's caliber in the team," he added.