Shikhar Dhawan Scales Unparalleled Records With 99* Against SRH

image-lg9n55amDhawan congratulated by SRH players after his innings (IPLT20.COM)

Shikhar Dhawan punched out an unbeaten 99 to douse a high-flying SRH bowling unit in Hyderabad. The opener kept losing his partners from the other end, until he decided to take up the run-scoring onus with number 11 Mohit Rathee.

Both Dhawan and Rathee shared a 55-run stand for the last wicket, thus extending Punjab Kings’ score from 88-9 with five overs still left in the innings to 143-9. While the left-handed opener launched a six off the final ball to finish at 99*, Rathee’s share of the partnership was confined to just the two deliveries he successfully survived at the death.

Meanwhile, through the course of his knock, Dhawan has now scaled a number of T20 records.

Shikhar Dhawan reaches new heights with counterattacking 99*

Shikhar Dhawan launched an all-out assault against SRH amidst his side’s quest for survival in match number 14 of the IPL 2023 season. Despite staring down the barrel at 88-9, he ensured his team finished with a respectable total upfront against the hosts.

With Dhawan doing most of the scoring for his side throughout their innings, he has now achieved a new height in T20 cricket. His 99* out of the 143-run total means the cricketer accounted for 69.2 percent of the runs his team scored in the evening.

His 69.2 percent share from the innings marks as the second-highest percentage of runs scored by any batter for his side in an IPL inning. This record is only next to former KKR opener Brendon McCullum, who previously notched up 71.2 percent of his team’s runs by clubbing 158* (out of 222) in the opening match of the first season of IPL.

Moreover, Dhawan also became the first cricketer in history to carry his bat throughout the innings in any T20 league game. Opening the innings, he partnered up with every member of the Punjab Kings’ batting line-up during his 99-run unbeaten hurricane.

The legendary Indian opener also became only the fourth batter in IPL history to finish an innings at 99 not out. Notably, three of those batters belonged to Punjab Kings, with Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal having previously achieved the feat alongside Dhawan. Suresh Raina is the only non-PBKS player to feature in the list.

In the meantime, Dhawan has now snatched away the ‘Orange Cap’ honours of the season from previous owner Ruturaj Gaikwad. The senior cricketer has so far piled up 225 runs across three matches for his side.