Will Shikhar Dhawan play in IPL after announcing retirement from international and domestic cricket?

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Shikhar Dhawan, the tenth highest run-scorer for India in ODIs, announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Saturday, August 24. The 38-year-old made the announcement via a video post on his social media handles.

Dhawan made his international debut in October 2010, and played 34 Tests, 167 ODI and 68 T20Is for India. He scored 2315 runs in Test cricket at an average of 40.61, 6793 runs in ODIs at an average of 44.11, and 1759 runs in T20I cricket at an average of 27.92. Shikhar Dhawan hit seven hundreds in Tests and 17 in ODI format.

The southpaw batter made a name for himself with his aggressive batting, and the knack of delivering in ICC events. He was India's highest run-scorer in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 which India won by beating England. He also emerged as the leading run-scorer for India in 2015 World Cup, and scored the most runs in ICC Champions Trophy 2017. The Delhi-born batter was also the leading run-scorer in Asia Cup 2018.

Further, the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan became one of the most successful for India. They scored 5148 runs together in 115 innings at an average of 45.55. Only three more opening pairs in ODI cricket history have scored more runs together.

"It's important to turn the page to move forward in life and that's why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India. I've told myself don't feel sad that you won't play for India anymore, but feel happy that you played for the country," he said in his video post.

Will Shikhar Dhawan play IPL?

The retirement announcement has also left the fans emotional, and they have been wondering of Shikhar Dhawan will continue playing IPL or has announced his retirement from competitive cricket altogether.

Dhawan has represented Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in his IPL career, which has seen him play 222 matches. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in IPL behind Virat Kohli. He has scored 6768 runs in 221 innings at an average of 35.07 and a strike rate of 127.12. His last IPL outing - which is also his last professional outing - came against SRH in Mullanpur, Chandigarh on April 9.

He was the designated captain of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2024, however a shoulder injury curtailed his season to five matches only. Punjab Kings finished second-last in the 10-team tournament, managing to win just five of their 14 league stage matches.

Shikhar Dhawan did not talk about his IPL career his retirement video, and that has created doubts in the minds of the fans. Earlier, reports suggested that Punjab were not eager on retaining Shikhar Dhawan for IPL 2025.

Dinesh Karthik recently announced his retirement, and clearly mentioned that he was moving on from 'competitive cricket'. Although he has made a u-turn and will be playing in SA20 next year. Notably, a player retired from Indian cricket can only feature in overseas leagues.

In September 2022, Robin Uthappa said he was retiring from 'all forms of Indian cricket' while making the big announcement. He then played in Abu Dhabi T10 for Bangla Tigers.

Suresh Raina also announced his retirement from 'all formats of cricket' in September 2022 and never played in the IPL again. Further, Ambati Rayudu mentioned it clearly that the CSK vs GT IPL 2023 final would be his 'last game in the IPL'. He became a free agent after retiring from Indian cricket and played in the International League T20 for MI Emirates earlier this year.

The keywords 'retire from Indian cricket', 'retire from the IPL', and 'retire from all formats of the game is missing'. A clarity on Shikhar Dhawan's IPL future is expected soon.

However, the video posted by Dhawan showed a Punjab Kings jersey, and a SRH memento in his cabinet as he thanked BCCI and the DDCA for their support throughout his career. Punjab Kings also made a 'Thank You Shikhar Dhawan'. The edited picture showed Dhawan sitting in PBKS jersey at the boundary rope, with fans cheering in the background. If that can be taken as a signal, Dhawan has retired from IPL as well.