Wearing masks is a new normal in the COVID-19 era. But on Monday, a different kind of mask made the news during match 38 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
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Punjab Kings' all-rounder Rishi Dhawan turned up wearing a protective face shield against defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
In other sports, wearing protective masks and headgears is not new. In cricket too, batters wearing helmets is part and parcel of the game. In fact, Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford and his innovative arm guard are a regular sight in the IPL.
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But bowlers wearing protective gears is very rare. And Rishi Dhawan sporting a mask became a hot trend on social media. For the record, Warren Barnes of Otago Volts started wearing a protective mask in 2018. Here are some reactions:
Rishi Dhawan is the man of firsts. He is the first bowler to be wearing a protective mask in #IPL. As @venkatatweets shared he was hit on head in follow through during Ranji Trophy. It should become a normal now since I’ve seen a lot of bowlers getting hit in the follow through pic.twitter.com/jPDZLJdu07
— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) April 25, 2022
Rayudu batting even more aggressively tonight. Rishi Dhawan's glasses may have reminded him of something 😜 #PBKSvCSK #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/J9teFyaDO2
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) April 25, 2022
For all those wondering why Rishi Dhawan is wearing a face guard: Rishi Dhawan has a nose injury. he dislocated it when a ball hit him during a match and had to go through a minor surgery. To protect it from any further risk of damage, he is wearing it.#ipl #IPL2022 #CSKvsPBKS
— CricNews (@CricNews012) April 26, 2022
Trolling Rishi Dhawan for that mask is unacceptable, he is wearing that after a nose injury he suffered during a ranji trophy match. Guy playing his ipl game after 6 long years which is a very hard earned one because of his performances in VHT 2022. (1/n) pic.twitter.com/QT206iKrXR
— sylesh (@sylesh146) April 25, 2022
I have never seen a bowler wearing this mask before, Rishi Dhawan 🤯#IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/8D7naYhNFt
— India Fantasy (@india_fantasy) April 25, 2022
Cody Rhodes was wearing same face shield when he was recovering from injury.. Rishi Dhawan is also wearing bcos of an injury. #RishiDhawan #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/0UjVc57waY
— Amit Joshi (@iOnlyAJ) April 25, 2022
Rishi Dhawan is the man of firsts. He is the first bowler to be wearing a protective mask in #IPL. As @venkatatweets shared he was hit on head in follow through during Ranji Trophy. It should become a normal now since I’ve seen a lot of bowlers getting hit in the follow through pic.twitter.com/jPDZLJdu07
— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) April 25, 2022
It's worth noting that Rishi Dhawan, 32, suffered a nose injury during a Ranji Trophy match earlier this year. The Himachal Pradesh captain had to undergo surgery, forcing him to miss the first four matches for Punjab Kings this season.
On the eve of the PBKS vs CSK match, Rishi Dhawan said that "I am making an IPL comeback after four years. It was a little disheartening when I got injured in the Ranji Trophy. I had to go through surgery which ruled me out of the first four matches, but I'm totally fine and available for selection now. I've been training hard and hope to have a strong comeback."
What's more dangerous than a lion? 𝘼 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣. #SherSquad, tune in to this video to find out the reason behind @rishid100's initial absence & how he is all set for a roaring comeback now 👊#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2022 #ਸਾਡਾਪੰਜਾਬ #RishiDhawan pic.twitter.com/mnKKULSSrz
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 24, 2022
In the match, Rishi Dhawan bowled the decisive final over, and took the prized wicket of MS Dhoni. He returned with figures of 2/39 from his four overs.
Punjab Kings won the match by 11 runs. They are now sixth in the IPL 2022 points table with four wins and four defeats. They next play Lucknow Super Giants on April 29.
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