Although he is one of the top batsman for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, Shikhar Dhawan couldn’t make a significant impact in his team’s most recent match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday.
Dhawan is considered one of the greatest batters in IPL history, but unfortunately experienced an unusual batting slump during match No.64 of the IPL 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.
During Punjab Kings’ thrilling pursuit of the huge target set by Delhi Capitals, the battle between two experienced players at Dharamsala saw senior bowler Ishant Sharma emerge victorious over PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan.
Sharma dismissed the Indian left-hander for a golden duck in the second over of the innings. Unfortunately, this forgettable performance against Delhi means that Dhawan has now joined the likes of former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ajinkya Rahane in an unenviable record.
Shikhar Dhawan has now equaled the dubious record for the second-most number of ducks as an opener in IPL history, alongside Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane. Only Parthiv Patel has recorded more ducks as an opener in the tournament, with a total of 11.
Meanwhile, Dhawan’s Delhi Capitals counterpart David Warner has made IPL history in the 2023 season by breaking his own record during matchday 64 of the tournament.
David Warner played an impressive innings of 46 runs off 31 balls to break his own record against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. He now holds the record for the most runs scored by a player against a single team in the tournament, with a total of 1084 runs against Delhi Capitals (DC).
Warner had previously held the record for scoring the most runs against KKR, with 1075 runs. Shikhar Dhawan is in second place on the list with 1057 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), followed by Rohit Sharma (1040 against KKR) and Virat Kohli (1030 against DC).
In the match, DC posted a formidable total of 213-2 in 20 overs at Dharamsala, thanks to half-centuries from Prithvi Shaw (54) and Rilee Rossouw (82). Liam Livingstone played an incredible innings of 94 off 48 balls to lead the fightback for PBKS, but his efforts were not enough as the team fell short with a total of 198-8, resulting in a 15-run defeat.