IPL 2022 Auction: 3 reasons why Shikhar Dhawan is a good fit for Punjab Kings

The cricketing pool in India is such that a couple of failures for a senior player invoke shouts of "talent wastage" in the media. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are cases in point. They only play in one format and aren't seen much beyond it. So when they do come to the field, their scrutiny is that much more.

But there's another player in Pujara and Rahane's generation who, even at the age of 36, is keeping the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner), Prithvi Shaw (tied with Gaikwad for most centuries in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy season), and many others still at bay from his spot in the playing XI.

The player, Shikhar Dhawan, will be at the IPL 2022 auction. He's coming off a chart-topping outing - 169 runs from three matches at 56.33 - in the recent ODI series against South Africa. The southpaw, who scored two fifties, looked the most comfortable at the crease despite not playing international cricket in the last six months.

Despite missing out on the Orange Cap twice, Dhawan has been the most consistent performer in the last two IPL seasons. Without drastically changing his technique or playing style, he's reinvented his game as an opener, constantly playing the anchor role at the start, teeing off in the middle and calmly finishing at the end.

Punjab Kings (PBKS), with their fairly obvious struggles - three sixth-place finishes in three years - desperately need someone like him to turn the tide. The following are three reasons why this could be a successful partnership for both parties:

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Shikhar Dhawan is a possible captaincy choice for PBKS

No team needs a breath of fresh air more than PBKS.

They only managed to retain opening batter Mayank Agarwal and promising left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh ahead of the auction. Two other top players, skipper KL Rahul and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, chose to join the new Lucknow franchise. There have been questions about management and owners. Fan sentiment is most certainly low and no top-four finish in the last seven years hasn't helped their cause either.

Some pundits have suggested giving Agarwal the captaincy, which is fair because, at 30, he's at the peak of his career. But neither he has much experience nor, unlike other franchises, he sits with the brand image of the franchise.

Not only would Dhawan, an extrovert Punjabi himself, be more acceptable to the fan base but he also brings substantial prior experience. He has led Delhi multiple times and has also captained in the IPL in 10 matches (four wins, six losses).

He even led India in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Sri Lanka last year and did well with a second-string, COVID-struck team. Apart from bringing a stable batting option, Dhawan could also infuse some new vigor in PBKS.

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Mayank Agarwal-Shikhar Dhawan can form a solid opening duo

Agarwal's partnership with Rahul was the only thing that worked for PBKS last season. The former, the more underrated of the two, scored 441 runs from 12 matches at an average of 40.09 and a strike rate of 140.45 in the UAE. More often than not, he was the aggressor in the partnership, allowing Rahul to settle at the other end.

If he can continue doing that, Agarwal's methods will dovetail perfectly with Dhawan. Both are experienced openers, are good against pace and magnificent against spin.

Moreover, both have points to prove to the India selectors in the shortest format, which could be a massive motivation in a T20 World Cup year.

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Shikhar Dhawan loves Mohali

In 2013 at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, Shikhar Dhawan scored a belligerent 174-ball 187 on his Test debut versus Australia, reaching his century in just 84 balls - the fastest ever by a debutant. Six years later, he scored his 16th ODI ton at the same venue against Australia once again, while also completing 10000 List A runs.

In nine IPL matches in Mohali, the left-hander has scored 221 runs at an average and strike-rate of 27.63 and 130.77 respectively with two half-centuries.

Even if IPL 2022 isn't played in India (or is just concentrated in Maharashtra), it'll be back to normal in the next two years. And given that it's PBKS' home ground, they'll play most of their matches here.

If they sign Dhawan for the next three years, it will be a brilliant headstart for him to reinvigorate his love for Mohali and recreate the old magic in the final years of his career.