IPL 2018 Auction: Dhawan retained by SRH for Rs 5.2 crore

Team India's left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan has been bought for Rs. 5.2 crore by Kings XI Punjab but Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to use the Right to Match card for him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 auction on Saturday in Bengaluru.

Earlier Dhawan was not retained by the SRH, when they only opted to retain David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the team management during the auction decided to use their Right to Match card to get Dhawan.

The teams that were included in the bidding war for the 'Gabbar'of Indian teams were Mumbai Indians, Kings Xi Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, but eventually he was sold to Kings XI Punjab but was retained by his old franchise.

Dhawan has been an integral part of IPL since its opening in 2008 and has played all season.

He played for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2008 and was their third-highest run-getter with 340 runs in 14 matches at an average of 37.77.

He turned out for the Mumbai Indians for two seasons before moving to the Deccan Chargers.

Dhawan had a good season last time around when he scored 479 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.84 and a strike rate of 127.39. In the process, he smashed three fifties that included the highest score of 77.

Overall, Dhawan has featured in 127 IPL matches and has scored 3561 runs at an average of 32.66. He has scored 28 fifties and has a healthy strike rate of 121.86. In the process, he hit 401 boundaries and smashed 71 sixes.