He has been the linchpin of the CSK middle-order in the last two seasons. He is the biggest six-hitter in the IPL since 2023. He is amongst the best players of spin in the country. The rise of Shivam Dube and his dramatic transformation has been one of ‘the’ success stories of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the last few seasons. Having earned a place in the 15-man squad for the World Cup, Dube could just emerge as the X-factor for India in the mega event in America and the Caribbean. At 25, Dube was a late entrant in the IPL and struggled in his first three seasons. He could muster 169 runs in 13 innings at an average of 16.9 and strike rate of 122.5 for the Challengers in 2019 and 2020. A move to the Royals in 2021 did not have a dramatic change in his fortunes – though he increased his aggregate to 230 in the season, Dube’s scoring rate of 119.2 left a lot to be desired. Overall, between 2019 and 2021, Dube had an aggregate of just 399 runs in 22 innings at an average of 22.17 and strike rate of 120.5. He had just one innings of note – and that was an unbeaten 64 off 42 deliveries against the Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi. 2022 - The transformation Backed by MS Dhoni, Dube witnessed a dramatic upswing in his fortunes when he moved to the Chennai Super Kings in 2022. He delivered in his second match of the season smashing 49 off 30 deliveries from number 4 against the Super Giants. That followed a 30-ball 57 against the Punjab Kings before he produced the innings that firmly announced the arrival of Shivam Dube on the big stage - an undefeated 95 off just 46 deliveries in the mother of all battles against the Challengers – the hallmark of his innings being the 8 sixes! Dube scored 289 runs in the season at a strike rate of 156.2. But this was just the appetizer. 2023 – Big impact in historic triumph for CSK A confident Dube produced five high impact performances in 2023 playing a pivotal role with the bat in the middle-order in CSK’s historic fifth title triumph. His highest impact knock came against the Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens when he blasted a 21-ball 50 – again, the five sixes being the highlight of his eye-catching performance! Dube held his nerve in the final against the Titans remaining unbeaten on 32 as Ravindra Jadeja smashed a six and a four off the last two deliveries to seal a stunning win for the Super Kings. Dube ended the season with an aggregate of 418 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 158.3. Only Faf du Plessis (36) hit more sixes than Dube’s 35 in the tournament. From every 11.6 deliveries in 2022, Dube further improved his frequency of clearing the ropes and smacked one six every 7.5 deliveries in 2023.