Shikhar Dhawan is currently the highest run-getter in the tournament with second-phase to be played in UAE.
Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan is looking forward to continuing similar domination in UAE as the first phase of IPL 2021 earlier this year. The team remained on top of the points table before the tournament was postponed after the COVID-19 outbreak in bio-bubble.
Dhawan, smashed three half-centuries in the first 8 matches, scored 380 runs with an average of 54.28 and strike-rate of 134.27. He's currently ahead of his competitors in the race of Orange cap.
“It’s great to be back. There’s a great environment within the team. All the boys are working very hard and I am looking forward to the IPL season. I am very excited to play the upcoming matches,” Dhawan was quoted as saying in a statement released.
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“It’s very important to start on a high note. We need to do well from the first match itself and therefore we are working very hard for our first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. We have to bring our hard work into effect during matches and produce great results," he added.
Delhi have won six out of their eight matches to earn 12 points. Dhawan said DC's flow was broken after the tournament was suspended in May. However, their squad has been strengthened with the return of Shreyas Iyer in the side after recovering from injury.
“We were in a certain flow in the first half of the season and then that flow was broken once the tournament was suspended. So we have to rebuild our energy and get back on the flow we were in. The good thing is that our team is well balanced and Shreyas Iyer is back in the side as well, so our team is even stronger now,” he said.
Dhawan also opened up on the conditions in the UAE which always plays a factor. “We’ll beat the heat as well. It takes some time to get used to the humidity here since we were indoors for a while. But we’ve been doing this for so many years so we’ll definitely beat the heat," he confidently said.
Delhi Capitals will play their first match of the second phase against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.