On the morning of August 24, Shikhar Dhawan shocked the cricket fraternity by announcing his retirement from international and domestic cricket. The southpaw had been out of the national team since December 2022. In his announcement, Dhawan didn’t mention anything about his Indian Premier League future. But recent news has marked the end of his IPL career.
Shikhar Dhawan joins Legends League Cricket
Shikhar Dhawan has joined the Legends League Cricket (LLC), a T20 league that features retired players. The BCCI does not allow players who are part of the national team, domestic cricket, or the IPL to participate in this league. With Dhawan joining LLC, it means he will no longer play in the IPL.
The 2024 season of Legends League Cricket is scheduled for September. The league will feature five teams, with stars like Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle, Harbhajan Singh, and Ross Taylor set to participate. The announcement of Shikhar Dhawan joining the league was made by the official handle of the tournament. However, it is not yet known which team the southpaw will represent.
“So Jaa Nahi To Gabbar Aa Jayega.”
The only time this line feels right 🔥Thrilled to announce that @SDhawan25 has officially joined Legends League Cricket.#BossLogonKaGame #LegendsLeagueCricket #LLCSeason3 #ShikharDhawan pic.twitter.com/e7auFZuCFA
— Legends League Cricket (@llct20) August 26, 2024
To join the LLC, Shikhar Dhawan had to give up his IPL contract. Dhawan captained the Punjab Kings last season but played only five games before missing the remainder of the season due to an injury. In his absence, Sam Curran led the team. Dhawan hasn’t fully recovered from his injury yet, and it was expected that PBKS might release him from their squad. However, there were chances of him being picked in the IPL 2025 auction.
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Before Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh made similar decisions, retiring from the IPL to explore other leagues. Currently, Suresh Raina is also signed with Legends League Cricket, while Yuvraj Singh, after retiring from the IPL, played in Canada’s Global T20 League. Now, Shikhar Dhawan can also explore opportunities in leagues outside India, such as South Africa’s SA20 and the USA’s Major League Cricket.