Shikhar Dhawan To Play Cricket Again, Joins Franchise In This Country

New Delhi :

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday joined Karnali Yaks and will take part in the inaugural season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL). Dhawan's decision to join Karnali Yaks came days after Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) have released him ahead of the 2025 mega-auction. In IPL 2024, Shikhar Dhawan represented the Punjab-based franchise in 5 matches and scored 152 runs at a strike rate of 125.62. His time with the Kings in IPL 2024 was cut short after he suffered an injury which forced him out of the field for the rest of the season.

Taking to X, Karnali Yaks announced the signing of Shikhar Dhawan.

"Karnali Yaks is bringing the fierce energy of 'Gabbar' himself, Shikhar Dhawan, to the Nepal Premier League! With his dynamic style and experience, he's ready to shake things up. Brace yourselves because Gabbar has arrived," Karnali Yaks wrote on X.

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— Karnali Yaks (@KarnaliYaks) November 14, 2024

Earlier in August, Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket.

The 38-year-old brought the curtains down on his illustrious career by taking to Instagram and sharing an emotional message to announce his decision.

In his illustrious career, runs effortlessly came off Dhawan's bat. He represented India across all formats, but ODI was his forte.

In 167 appearances, the southpaw produced swashbuckling performances and racked up 6,793 runs at an average of 44.1, including 17 centuries and 39 fifties.

In the longest format of cricket, where he stitched up memorable partnerships with Murali Vijay, Dhawan garnered 2,315 runs in 34 matches at an average of 40.6. His Test career was laced with seven tons and five half-centuries.

In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.

In the domestic circuit, Dhawan played 122 First-Class cricket matches and handsomely scored 8,499 runs at an average of 44.26, including 25 centuries and 29 fifties.