Today, we had Match 38 of the IPL 2022 season where Punjab Kings were taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. And while CSK won the toss and put Punjab in to bat first, the main talking point was the return of former India all-rounder Rishi Dhawan who made a return to this tournament after as many as 6 years!
Prior to today, he played 26 career IPL games, with the last one being played way back in IPL 2016! In these games, he scored 153 runs with the bat (best of 25) and picked up 18 wickets as well. However, his recent form in the domestic circuit especially the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 which ended late last year, forced selectors and IPL team owners to recognise him once again.
Rishi Dhawan bowls with face mask!
His stats in the VHT 2021 season included 458 runs in 8 games with the bat, and as many as 17 wickets with the ball. This meant he ended as the second highest wicket-taker as well as the second-highest run scorer in the tournament, which made us wonder whether he could even make a surprise return to the Indian national side.
His antics included 42* and a 3-fer in the VHT final for Himachal Pradesh and that saw him getting an IPL call up once again, this time for Punjab Kings. The 32-year old all-rounder had to wait half the season before getting his first chance, which came today against CSK where Dhawan didn’t get to bat but was seen sporting a unique face mask while trying to defend his team’s total.
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We’ve often seen players wear additional protective gear in order to safeguard themselves from any potential fatal injuries. But very few times before have we seen bowlers sport a complete face mask, much like the helmet and grill that a batsman tends to wear while batting. In a fast paced game like T20 cricket, big hitting is common and it’s not uncommon to see bowlers being in the line of fire as well.
We often see umpires wearing protective gear across the back of their arms so that they can protect themselves when the ball comes firing back at them. However, it’s the first time we’ve seen a bowler with such a big face shield in the IPL. And it was later revealed that he was hit on the head during his follow through in a recent Ranji Trophy game, and that’s why this added protection now.
Rishi Dhawan playing his first IPL match in 6 years. pic.twitter.com/TSpWe4lv2r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 25, 2022
And he did well on his comeback game as well, getting the wicket of Shivam Dubey at the time of us writing this article. He was pretty tight with his first three overs, picking 1/24 in that spell. The 32-year old has toiled long and hard to get this chance and we would love to see him in action right through the rest of the IPL 2022 tournament.
For similar sports news and updates from the IPL 2022 season and from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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