Dhawan returns to Delhi for the 2019 season after being traded by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Australian great Ricky Ponting will continue to coach the team.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh struck half-centuries, while left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar took three wickets as Punjab Kings outclassed Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
India have been served well by Shreyas Iyer in ODIs at No. 4 but with the Mumbai batter unavailable due to injury, the team management entrusted Gaikwad with the job to build the innings and he did it with aplomb, hitting his maiden century in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.
The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
Virat Kohli has been with RCB since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, including nine seasons as captain of a franchise that made the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but lost every time.
Thanks to the depth in their squad, India joined Afghanistan and Romania as the countries to have won a record 12 consecutive Twenty20 Internationals.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin held their nerve in a tense finish to steer Delhi Capitals to a four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL match in Sharjah on Saturday.
While the young Indian team showed great resolve to earn a creditable draw in England, the series exposed several weaknesses that need urgent attention.
Talented India batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled fully match-fit and cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to return to competitive cricket, which is set to take place when the IPL resumes in the UAE from September 19.
England captain Jos Buttler expressed disappointment after his team's four-wicket loss to India in the opening ODI in Nagpur on Thursday.
Punjab Kings playing different cricket this season: Prabhsimran Singh
The barren run of skipper Rohit Sharma and the selection conundrum that Virat Kohli's possible return poses are the towering obstacles in India's quest for a series win against England in the second ODI in Cuttack on Sunday.
Gujarat Titans skipper Gill is expected to captain India on the Test tour of England following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant is likely to be his deputy.
'We're just starting to scratch the surface. So let's keep working hard together as a family, as one. And we're going to get better every day.'
Shreyas Iyer said they put great effort in the game but it was a bad day as a 'bowling unit.'
'It is really special for me, for Virat Kohli, and all the fans.'
Punjab Kings Co-Owner Preity Zinta and husband Gene Goodenough were in the stands at the Himachal Pradesh cricket association stadium as they relished the thumping win.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will seek home comfort in their bid to return to winning ways when they face a depleted Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League match in Kolkata on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer's dream Test debut has put India in pole position in the opening Test against New Zealand but it also presented his team with a selection headache for the second and final test in Mumbai next week.
Shreyas, who is also the skipper of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, appreciates Ricky Ponting's coaching style.
Tactician par excellence Gautam Gambhir couldn't have envisaged a battle of brains with a more different kind of adversary than the smiling yet ruthless Pat Cummins as Kolkata Knight Riders face a spirited Sunrisers Hyderabad in a mega IPL final in Chennai on Sunday.
India on Sunday recorded their eighth successive win in a bilateral series and stand-in captain Rohit Sharma said the team needs to maintain the consistency in the upcoming tours overseas.
Gibbs said leadership develops with time, and Gill possesses the composure to grow into the role.
The IPL match between Punjab and Delhi was called off mid-way on Thursday after Pakistan attempted to invade the airspace near Chandigarh with a drone attack, mandating an Indian retaliation.
He has had a rough one month leading up to the IPL but KKR captain Shreyas Iyer wants to put all those negative thoughts in the back-burner as he focuses on what's there in store for him.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 title triumph has propelled the franchise's valuation to US$ 269 million, dethroning five-time champions Chennai Super Kings as the most valuable IPL franchise.
Rohit, Virat Kohli, along with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the first to touch down, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting series.
Ahead of the first ODI against Australia, India skipper Hardik Pandya said the team would miss the services of the injured Shreyas Iyer.
Replacing Gautam Gambhir as the skipper, young Shreyas Iyer Iyer led from the front with the bat, smashing a brilliant 93 from 40 balls to propel Delhi to a massive 219 for four in their 20 overs.
Kuldeep slips to third in ODI rankings, Maharaj regains top spot
Abhishek Sharma raised the power-hitting bar with a sensational, record 141 off 55 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad made short work of the 246-run target set by Punjab Kings to end to their four-match losing streak in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer revealed he tried to convince the stand-in-captain Jasprit Bumrah to let him have a bowl in the first T20 International against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Thursday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa?
The game on Friday had enough positives for India, mainly the performance of Mohammad Shami and Suryakumar Yadav, but few questions still need to be answered ahead of the World Cup, beginning October 5.
After a much-needed two-day respite, Team India returned to the training grounds with renewed vigour, setting their sights on a pivotal showdown against New Zealand on Sunday.
ICC ODI Player of the Year Afghanistan's Azamatullah Omarzai would be able to join Punjab Kings only on March 20.
The BCCI has also named one inter-squad for a three-day match slated for December 20 to 22.
