IPL 2020: Shikhar Dhawan registers maiden ton, helps DC beat CSK by 5 wickets

Shikhar Dhawan registered his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) hundred as he helped Delhi Capitals (DC) defeat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets on Saturday.

Dhawan remained unbeaten on 58-ball 101 as DC chased down CSK's target of 180 with a ball to spare at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Dhawan took a single on the last ball of the 19th over in the second innings to reach the 100-run mark off 57 deliveries. His innings consisted of 14 fours and a six. The 34-year-old was the 17th Indian cricketer to score a hundred in the IPL.

With the win, DC return to the top of the IPL 2020 points table, pushing defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to second place. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni's CSK are placed sixth in the table, having won just three out of nine matches in IPL 2020.

Dhawan, who has been a part of IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008, took 168 matches and 13 years to finally reach the triple-digit score in the tournament. The opening batsman is 60-odd runs away from joining Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Suresh Raina in the 5,000-club among the batsmen in the IPL. While it was Dhawan's first century, the Delhi cricketer has scored 39 fifties in the Indian T20 league.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Dhawan termed the landmark knock as "very special".

"It's very special (first IPL ton). Playing for 13 years, so very special. Really happy. At the start of the tournament, I was hitting the ball but I wasn't converting the 20s or 30s into fifties. Once you start doing that, you get more confidence. I just want to continue the same form and make the most of it. I keep my mindset positive; I don't think a lot. Of course, I do have a few strategies according to pitch. I feel I have courage. It (fitness) is very important. Luckily, I was able to work a lot on my routine due to this long break we had due to Corona," added Dhawan.

Among Indian batsmen in the IPL, Dhawan holds the record of most fifties – 39, ahead of the trio of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Rohit Sharma, who scored 38 fifties each. Overall, no other batsman in the IPL has more number of half-centuries than Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner – 46. Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) hitter Chris Gayle leads the chart of most centuries in the IPL (6) ahead of Kohli (5), Warner (4), and CSK's Shane Watson (4).

DC have a two-day break before their next IPL 2020 fixture, which is against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Tuesday at the Dubai International Cricket.