A typical Indian swing bowler, Dhawal Kulkarni is a medium pacer who has represented the country in international cricket on 14 occasions. Dhawal was earmarked as a bright talent following his superb performances in the 2005-06 U17 Vijay Merchant competition. He continued to perform exceedingly well in age-group cricket and these displays were rewarded with a place in the Indian team for the tour of Sri Lanka in 2007. 

In April 2007, a few months before the Sri Lanka tour, Dhawal made his senior debut for Mumbai by playing one game in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, he had got more chances in the 2008-09 Vijay Hazare Trophy and picked up seven wickets from four matches. Later on in the year 2008, the Mumbai-native made his first-class debut against Australia A while representing India A and picked up the wicket of the late Phil Hughes. 

In his first Ranji season, Dhawal ended up as the joint highest wicket-taker with 42 scalps from nine matches. Such a fantastic start to the first-class career wasn’t overlooked as Dhawal was named in the Indian Test squad for the tour of New Zealand in 2009. Although Dhawal didn’t get an opportunity in that tour, he continued to be a mainstay for Mumbai in domestic cricket. After picking up 21 wickets in the 2011-12 Ranji season, he took 30 wickets and helped his state seal a 40th Ranji title. 

Somehow, Dhawal has tended to come up with clutch performances in crucial games. Dhawal picked up five-wicket hauls in the Ranji Trophy finals of 2008-09, 2012-13, and 2015-16 while he also came up with an important 87-run knock in the 2009-10 final against Karnataka. The consistency at the domestic level was finally rewarded with an ODI cap against England at Edgbaston.  In just his 3rd ODI, he picked up a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka which remains his best performance in international cricket. He followed it up with three wickets in the next ODI at Ranchi but chances have been scarce after that. In fact, he has not played another ODI after the game against New Zealand in October 2016. 

In the IPL, he has had represented as many as three franchises. After picking up 11 wickets for Mumbai Indians as a teenager in the first-ever IPL season, opportunities dried down in the subsequent years. The move to Rajasthan Royals worked in 2014 worked a year later as he took 13 wickets in IPL 8. With Rajasthan suspended for the following two seasons, Dhawal made a move to the Gujarat Lions and took 18 wickets from 14 matches in the 2016 IPL season. He was back for two seasons with Rajasthan Royals during 2018-19 before returning to his first and home franchise, Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2020 IPL season. 

With more than 250 wickets in first-class cricket and more than 200 wickets in List-A matches, Dhawal has had a superb career. At the age of 31, a national team recall seems unlikely but he should easily have a few more good years for Mumbai in domestic cricket and also in the IPL.