A second coming for Rishi Dhawan

It was Rishi's first IPL match in five years. Between 2013 and 2016, he played four seasons for Punjab, taking 18 wickets in 26 games. After impressing with his all-rounding performance for HP in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, PBKS bought him for INR 55 lakh in the IPL 2022 auction.

Let's look at what Rishi has gone through before this match in detail to understand how much struggle he has faced in his career:

Rishi Dhawan Last India Series:

Rishi Dhawan was a fabulous player in 2016 and was given a chance in the T20I match between India and Zimbabwe 2016. The door was left slightly ajar for Dhawan to become a hero in front of a loud home crowd. With Dhawan and Dhoni at the crease, the visitors needed eight runs off the last over. Dhawan just had three deliveries (one of which was wide) to make an impression. 

Dhawan tried to shuffle across to the off-side twice in an attempt to crack shots behind square on the on-side, but Neville Madziva read his moves and checkmated him with wide yorkers both times. Dhawan eventually got a single, but it was evident that he had wasted his chance to make headlines. For the record, India lost by two runs in the nail-biter.

After this series, Dhawan was never seen after that and was eventually even dropped from the squad, which was quite hurtful. He only got three chances to make an impression on the national side, which were not enough. After this, he remained unsold even in the IPL till the previous year.

The performance that gave him a chance to reclaim himself:

All the hours of training and aches and pains paid off when he had a brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he finished with unbelievable stats, consisting of 17 wickets and 458 runs at a staggering average of 76.33. It wasn't just about the runs he made or the wickets he took; he stepped up when his side, Himachal Pradesh, needed him the most. For example, in the final versus Tamil Nadu, his massive power hitting helped Himachal get over the edge.

Hit-the-deck bowling was one of the components of his game he wanted to improve. Dhawan is noted for his ability to generate swings. However, in today's limited-overs cricket, a bowler must also hit the deck. And the dedicated all-rounder resolved to hone his hit-the-deck bowling abilities.

He also demonstrated his ability as a bowler by getting the Vijay Hazare Trophy to swing at the tail end of the tournament. Dhawan, incidentally, was a little exhausted by the time Himachal reached the knockout stage of the event. However, he was keen to get back to fundamentals, and in the tournament's semi-final, he dislodged opener Lakhan Singh with an inswinger. The all-rounder has a goal to play for India in the future and give clinical performances.

IPL 2022 Auction- finally sold to the franchise where it all started:

After making a lot of improvements, the all-rounder finally got a chance to prove himself. He was adequately rewarded for his solid efforts on the domestic circuit when Punjab Kings selected him in the auction for INR 55 lakhs. Dhawan had a tumultuous IPL career, and as he last appeared in the competition in 2016, it was a dream come true moment for him.

A second chance for Rishi:

An opportunity to redeem himself on the big stage was offered to him in his comeback IPL game against Chennai Super Kings. He was tasked with bowling the final over, and he was up against MS Dhoni, a seasoned finisher. With the ball slipping down the leg-side, it wasn't the finest of Dhawan's career deliveries, but it gave him a wicket, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. And he ended up dismissing the Indian legend to put the final touches on PBKS' victory.

His spell was beneficial for the team as he bowled many crucial overs and took two wickets. He conceded 39 runs in the game, but it was reasonable as he was bowling death overs for the franchise where the pressure on bowlers is high.

Reason for wearing headgear:

 Future generations may remember the all-rounder for the accoutrement – headgear – he ended up wearing in the game to shield himself from being hit while bowling. He was wearing it because of the same nose fracture, which caused him to stay in the dressing room in the tournament's first half.

The greater picture that emerged from the night was that of a hard-working cricketer getting closer to his goal, the goal for which he has been working continuously with all his dedication. He would look to replicate his performance and play crucial knocks for the franchise as an all-rounder if given chances ahead.