Faced 31 dot balls, ended up on the losing side, still bagged Player of the Match. Guess the player

In the IPL, there was a player who played 31 dot balls in his innings, his team suffered an embarrassing defeat, yet he was awarded Man of the Match. And yes, to this day, no one has broken his record of playing 31 dot balls. The player is Shikhar Dhawan.

That evening of 9th April 2023… Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings, the ground was Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan played a steady, stabilizing innings. The rest of the team’s batsmen struggled; as wickets kept falling, the pressure was on Dhawan. At the start, he played one dot ball after another to protect his wicket. Before long, he had played 31 dot balls. But with composure and determination, Dhawan took the team to 143 in 20 overs.

The score wasn’t big, but the effort in his innings was clearly visible. When Sunrisers Hyderabad came out to bat, they completely dominated the match. They achieved the target in just 17.1 overs with only 2 wickets down.

Then why was Dhawan given Man of the Match? Because the story doesn’t end there. Dhawan played dot balls to save his wicket, but later made up for it. He scored 99 runs off 66 balls, hitting 12 fours and 5 sixes. Apart from him, only Sam Curran managed 22 runs; no other batsman even reached double digits.

Dhawan’s innings was not just about scoring runs, but an exceptional display of leadership, strong presence, and individual brilliance. When the entire team was struggling, he stood firm alone like a true captain. That’s why, despite the loss, the real hero of that day was Dhawan.

Even today, Shikhar Dhawan holds the record for the most dot balls played in a single IPL innings. Among foreign batsmen, this record belongs to Dwayne Bravo, who played 30 dot balls on 12 May 2009 against Mumbai Indians. In that match, Bravo scored 70 runs off 59 balls.

Will Dhawan’s record be broken in IPL 2026? Let’s see.