Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan is an outstanding all-rounder who was finally rewarded with a ODI debut against Australia in January 2016. His richly deserved selection came off the back of consistent performances for Himachal Pradesh, across the formats, for several years.

Unfortunately, in 3 ODI’s and 1 T20I, he only took 2 wickets and produced the highest score of 9, so was shortly discarded. Nevertheless, the talented all-rounder has returned to domestic cricket and done what he has for the past decade – impressed.

Dhawan’s journey began as an opening batter, when he hit the headlines as a 16-year-old in 2016, hitting 340 for HP in an Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match against Railways. Three years later, he was fast-tracked into the first-class squad, where his bowling performances overshadowed his batting. Dhawan finished the 2013/14 Ranji Trophy as the highest wicket-taker - 49 from eight matches - and earned an India A call-up for a limited-overs tour of Australia in July 2014. He showcased his batting potential in the final there by scoring an unbeaten 56 at No. 7 to help India A clinch the title.

He has continued his good form and consistency at first-class level, averaging 40+ in 6 of his last 12 seasons with the bat (50+ in 3 of these), and below 30 in 7 of these seasons. Every year he features amongst the top all-rounder's in domestic cricket, whether that's in red or white ball. Quite simply, Dhawan is one of the best domestic all-rounder's in the country.

Dhawan's IPL career hasn't hit the high notes though. After two years on the fringes with Mumbai Indians, he was signed by Kings XI Punjab for INR 3 crores in 2014. His performances have been steady, if not spectacular, having been used mainly as a stop-gap bowling option. After three years with Kings XI, his contract wasn’t renewed in 2018, but he did return to the Punjab Kings for a solitary outing during the 2024 edition.

Given his exclusion from the 2018 IPL edition, Dhawan headed to the UK and unsurprisingly, he was a resounding success. He was, without doubt, the league's best pro, dominating with bat and ball, despite his late arrival due to visa delays. In the North Lancs and Cumbria Premier League, playing for Furness, he scored 403 runs at 50.38 alongside 42 wickets at 11.36 in his 12 matches. However, 680 runs at 52.31 and 50 wickets at 13.40 to include Cup cricket for the club.

After a slow first month, he absolutely excelled, taking successive 7-44 hauls and, a few weeks later, backed up with another 7-40, followed by two further 5 wicket hauls (5-32, 5-22). He was a consistent performer with the bat, but his best innings was his incredible 111-ball 160 against Haverigg (he also took 5-32 in the second innings).

The talented all-rounder will, once again, look to continue his domestic domination and whilst he hopes to secure another IPL stint, given his lack of opportunities in recent years selection is far from given. Therefore, he is keen to explore the opportunity of a UK return in 2025. Obviously, if he secures an IPL gig, he'd only be available after the tournament (late May), but it may very well be he fails to secure a birth and would be available for a full UK summer. A superstar signing for any club side next season!