Shikhar Dhawan becomes first batter to complete 700 IPL fours
Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has become the first-ever batter to complete 700 fours in the IPL. The 36-year-old attained this feat in the last league stage fixture of the IPL 2022 between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dhawan finished as the leading run-scorer for PBKS in the ongoing season. He was their star performer even though PBKS failed to make the playoffs.
Why does this story matter?
Dhawan is one of the most bankable batters in the IPL. PBKS bought him for a whopping Rs. 8.5 crore in the IPL 2022 auction. Earlier, he was a part of Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals. Dhawan is one of the two batters to have registered 6,000 IPL runs. And now, he has the distinction of smashing 700 fours.
Only batter with 700 IPL fours
As stated, Dhawan is now the only batter to have slammed 700 fours in the IPL (701). He also owns 136 sixes. The left-handed batter has 124 more fours than second-placed David Warner. Virat Kohli follows Warner with 576 boundaries.
Most runs for PBKS in IPL 2022
Dhawan was the nucleus of PBKS' batting order in IPL 2022. He gave them some fruitful starts. He is still the fourth-highest run-scorer in the ongoing season, having smashed 460 at a remarkable average of 38.33. Dhawan maintained a strike rate of 122.67. He is one of the two batters, besides Liam Livingstone, to have scored 400 runs for PBKS this season.
Seventh consecutive season with 400+ runs
It was the seventh consecutive season where Dhawan smashed 400 or more runs. His scores in these seasons read as 2016: 501, 2017: 479, 2018: 497, 2019: 521, 2020: 618, 2021: 587, 2022: 460. Dhawan had the second-most runs in IPL 2022.
Other records of Dhawan in the IPL
Dhawan (6,244) is second only to Virat Kohli (6,592) in terms of IPL runs. The former has the most number of runs as an opener in the tournament (5,837). Dhawan is the only batter to have scored over 3,000 runs (3,133) in the powerplay overs (IPL). He is the only batter with over 400 fours in this phase (414).
