IPL: Shikhar \'Gabbar\' Dhawan is back with Delhi Daredevils

IPL: Shikhar ‘Gabbar’ Dhawan is back with Delhi Daredevils

DD have had a torrid time in recent years and finished at the bottom of the points table in the 2018 season of the cash-rich league.

cricket Updated: Nov 05, 2018 14:02 IST
File image of Shikhar Dhawan.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan is back with Delhi Daredevils after plying his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last few seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). DD have had a torrid time in recent years and finished at the bottom of the points table in the 2018 season of the cash-rich league.

DD took to social media to make the announcement. “Brace yourselves, for he has returned, where it all began! Welcome Home, Shikhar Dhawan. 🙌 #DilDilli #Dhadkega,” the post on Twitter read.

Batting was a serious issue for the Delhi outfit last season with skipper Gautam Gambhir failing as an opener and finally quitting captaincy mid-season. The Daredevils had finished with just 5 wins from 14 games and new coach Ricky Ponting wasn’t too pleased with the performance of the team.

Since then, a lot of things have changed as JSW Sports inked a deal with GMR Group — original owners of DD — for equal partnership in the IPL franchise.

“GMR Group today announced that it has entered into an agreement with JSW Sports for a 50:50 partnership in GMR Group’s Cricket franchisee “DD” owned by GMR Sports Private Limited (GSPL). GSPL is owned by the Promoters of the GMR Group,” Daredevils had issued a press release.

“This relationship between GMR and JSW opens up powerful synergy going forward for both the groups. It is symbolic of immense potential for Sports and Cricket in particular in the region.

“After having nurtured the Franchisee for the last 10 years, we believe the time is right for us to take it to newer heights. We believe JSW as a partner will bring significant value to the franchise with their wealth of diverse experience,” GMR Corporate Chairman Kiran Grandhi had said.

“We are very happy to announce this new partnership with GMR. This is something that we as a group are excited about and the DD team will add to our existing portfolio of sports investments. We look forward to bring our experience and expertise to take the team to new heights” JSW supremo Parth Jindal had said.

First Published: Nov 05, 2018 14:02 IST