IPL 2019: Delhi Daredevils confirm Shikhar Dhawan's return to the franchise

Shikhar Dhawan is all set to play for the Delhi Daredevils in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise confirmed the same on its official Twitter handle on Monday. Interestingly, the flamboyant left-hander played for Delhi in the inaugural edition of the tournament after which Mumbai Indians snapped him for the second edition.

Earlier there were reports of Dhawan not happy with his auction amount and hence, was looking for a change of team. The Sunrisers Hyderabad had retained him using the Right to Match card for the 2018 season for a whopping amount of 5.2 Crores. They traded him with the Daredevils in exchange with three players, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abhishek Sharma and Vijay Shankar.

Daredevils welcomed Shikhar Dhawan to the team with a tweet on social media which read, “Brace yourselves, for he has returned, where it all began! Welcome Home, Shikhar Dhawan. #DilDilli #Dhadkega.”

Brace yourselves, for he has returned, where it all began!

Welcome Home, Shikhar Dhawan. 🙌#DilDilli #Dhadkega pic.twitter.com/LFGMxs1bEk

— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) November 5, 2018

Hyderabad’s press release

Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have also confirmed the move as they released a statement of Shikhar Dhawan parting ways with the franchise. They also confirmed that the cricketer was unhappy with the amount he was being paid and also cleared that it was better for both the parties to part ways after a long standing association.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce, that one of our longstanding players, Shikhar Dhawan, will be moving to another franchise in 2019. The Sunrisers were delighted to pick Shikhar up in the auction after using one of its 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 we unfortunately we cannot rectify due to IPL rules,” the part of the statement read.

However, they also wished him and his family all the luck for the future while also expressing their disappointment that Dhawan had to leave due to financial reasons.

We have traded Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi Daredevils for Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma. We thank Shikhar for his contribution to the team over the years and wish him the very best. pic.twitter.com/oEqwJ61yw1

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 5, 2018