While IPL 2025 batsmen are setting the stage on fire, Shikhar Dhawan—though absent from this season’s Indian T20 League—has created a storm with his powerful hitting in the Intercontinental Legends Championship. Known recently more for his personal life than cricket, Dhawan’s bat did all the talking on May 29 with a fiery knock that outpaced Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s IPL strike rate.

Strike rate battle: Dhawan 210.25 vs Vaibhav 206.55
Vaibhav Suryavanshi dominated IPL 2025 with an overall strike rate of 206.55 across seven matches. But in a single match, Dhawan scored at a blistering 210.25 strike rate. Opening for Indian Warriors against American Strikers, Dhawan scored a dazzling 82 runs off just 39 balls, smashing 7 sixes and 5 fours—62 runs coming just from boundaries.

Match-winning heroics
The American Strikers set a target of 181 runs, but Dhawan’s explosive innings helped Indian Warriors chase it down comfortably in 17.5 overs, winning by 6 wickets with 13 balls to spare. His partnership of 110 runs for the first wicket with captain Priyank Panchal laid a solid foundation. For his match-winning performance, Dhawan was awarded Player of the Match.

Dhawan’s blazing knock proves he’s still a force to reckon with in T20 cricket—even outside the IPL spotlight.