With Shikhar Dhawan, the team’s chosen captain, expected to be out of action with a shoulder injury, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) IPL 2024 (Indian Premier League) campaign could be severely hampered.
Similarly, Dhawan would miss at least a week of activity, if not more, according to PBKS head coach Sanjay Bangar, who verified the news. After the Kings’ most recent loss to the Rajasthan Royals, Bangar spoke to the media and voiced his concerns over Dhawan’s condition. He stated that Dhawan has a shoulder injury and will probably be out for a few days at the least.
He has a shoulder injury, so I would guess he will be out for at least a few days. It becomes vitally important for the squad to have a seasoned opener, such as Shikhar, who has played on surfaces like this before. It is necessary to wait and observe how he reacts to the medication. ESPN Cricinfo cited Bangar as stating, “At this point, it appears that he could be out of action for at least seven days.”
Sam Curran took over during the toss in Dhawan’s absence, which confused some supporters. Bangar made it clear that Curran was never the official stand-in captain, despite what some may have thought based on Jitesh Sharma’s attendance at the captains’ conference earlier in the season.
“Jitesh wasn’t the official vice-captain, no, no. The impression might have come from his attendance at the captains’ meeting, or seminar, held prior to the IPL season. However, the prevailing belief was that, due to Sam’s prior experience leading the team, we were unable to send him to Chennai because he arrived late from the UK and requested to attend a few training sessions. Because it was specified that a player must attend, Jitesh was dispatched.
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Jitesh wasn’t acting as the team’s temporary captain. “When asked, Bangar clarified, ‘We were very clear in our mind that if at all there had to be an opening, Sam Curran would be taking over and doing the job as the captain.”
Without Shikhar Dhawan, the Punjab Kings’ starting lineup would have difficult obstacles.
The Kings may find it difficult to function without captain Shikhar Dhawan, particularly given their poor batting performance in the competition thus far. Dhawan is still their top run scorer, even though his run at bat hasn’t been very impressive. Jonny Bairstow, his opening partner, has also had form issues, which has made the team’s problems worse.
The Kings recently tried using Atharva Taide at the top of the order when Dhawan was out. They are in the bottom half of the rankings, though, in part because of their batting lineup, which keeps failing.
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