Shikhar Dhawan becomes second player to complete 6,000 IPL runs
What's the story
Punjab Kings opener Shikhar Dhawan has become the second player after Virat Kohli to complete 6,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The senior batter unlocked the milestone while playing against Chennai Super Kings in match number 38 of IPL 2022. Dhawan has touched the 6,000-run mark in his 200th IPL appearance. Notably, Kohli had reached the landmark in his 196th match.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Before the ongoing encounter between CSK and PBKS, former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Kohli was the only player to have scored 6,000 runs in the IPL. He tallied the historic mark in the 2021 IPL edition (vs Rajasthan Royals). Dhawan, who is the second-highest run-scorer in the cash-rich league, has now joined Kohli in the elite club.
Information
Eighth player to feature in 200 IPL games
Dhawan has become only the eighth player to feature in 200 or more matches in the IPL. At present, he has the joint-sixth-most appearances after MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, and Robin Uthappa.
T20 cricket
Dhawan completes 9,000 runs in T20 cricket
Dhawan attained another significant feat in the match. He became only the third Indian after Kohli and Rohit Sharma to complete 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. A total of 1,759 runs have come in internationals. Both Kohli (10,392) and Rohit (10,048) own over 10,000 T20 runs. Interestingly, Dhawan is the only Indian to have slammed over 1,000 fours in the format.
Feats
A look at Dhawan's IPL career
Dhawan is one of the most bankable batters in the IPL. He had fetched himself a price of Rs. 8.5 crore in the mega auction earlier this year. Dhawan has also represented Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals in the tournament. He is one of two players to have slammed 45 or more IPL half-centuries, the other being David Warner.