Punjab Kings’ captain Shikhar Dhawan is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a shoulder injury, according to the team’s spin-bowling coach, Sunil Joshi. This news comes ahead of the crucial IPL 2024 clash against the Mumbai Indians, where Dhawan’s absence could be felt.
In Dhawan’s absence, Sam Curran took charge of leading Punjab Kings in their recent match against Rajasthan Royals. However, Dhawan’s availability for the upcoming match against Mumbai Indians in Mullanpur on April 18 is doubtful, with his status for the April 21 game against Gujarat Titans also uncertain.
Will Shikhar Dhawan return?
“Regarding Shikhar, the medical team will update. As for now, he is under rehab,” Joshi stated at the pre-match press conference.
Despite facing some challenges in IPL 2024, Dhawan remains Punjab’s leading run-scorer, tallying 152 runs from five innings at a strike rate of 125.61.
Joshi stressed the need for top-order batsmen to find form and elevate the team’s performance. Punjab Kings currently sit in seventh place with just two wins and four losses.
The standout performers for PBKS this season have been their underrated Indian players, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. Both players have consistently stepped up to provide stability and resilience to the team, often batting lower in the order.
Sunil Joshi talks about the T20 mindset
“In T20s, when you go through the first half of the tournament you will understand what sort of an approach you need to look at. At the same time, you need to look at the target and whether you can approach it in a different way to approach that target because we have done well in the middle and we have had a great finish,” Joshi said.
As PBKS looks to climb up the points table, finding support for their overseas bowling duo of Curran and Kagiso Rabada becomes crucial. The Indian pair of Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel will need to step up to complement the team’s efforts.
“Our endeavor is to always take the match deep. Definitely, we have not done well in batting in the power play, and we have addressed that issue,” Joshi added.
PBKS will need to regroup and put in a strong performance against Mumbai Indians to keep their hopes alive in IPL 2024.
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