Shikhar Dhawan is a very important player for the Punjab Kings team. He has experience as a captain and is known for scoring a lot of runs at the beginning of the game. However, Dhawan will not be playing in tonight’s match against Mumbai Indians at Mullanpur.
Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are playing against each other in a match between two of the weakest teams in the IPL 2024. The match is taking place at the Maharaja Yadhavendra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. Punjab Kings (PBKS) are currently in 8th place in the points table. If they can win against the struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) team at their home ground, it will give them the boost they need to perform better in the tournament. Shikhar Dhawan is a very important player for the PBKS team. He has experience as a captain and is known for scoring a lot of runs at the beginning of the game. However, Dhawan is not playing in the team for tonight’s match.
Why is Shikhar Dhawan Not Playing?
Shikhar Dhawan did not play in Punjab Kings’ previous match against Rajasthan Royals. The experienced left-handed batter got hurt in his shoulder before the game against the Royals. Because of this injury, he is unable to play in the match against Mumbai as well.
Who Has Replaced Shikhar Dhawan?
Sam Curran, a star all-rounder from England, is leading the team in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, just like in the previous match against the Rajasthan Royals. There was some confusion among fans because they thought Jitesh Sharma would be the captain of the team. This was because he attended the captains’ photoshoot before the start of the IPL 2024.
However, PBKS head coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Jitesh is not the vice-captain of the team. He went to the photoshoot because Curran hadn’t arrived from England yet.
“No, no, Jitesh was not the chosen vice-captain.” He might have gotten that impression because he went to the captains’ seminar at the beginning of the IPL.But the idea was that Sam couldn’t go to Chennai because he had led the team the previous year and he arrived late from the UK. He wanted to have a few training sessions before going. Therefore, Jitesh was sent because it was required for a player to attend. Jitesh was not the stand-in captain. Bangar confirmed that we were certain that if there was going to be an opening, Sam Curran would take over as the captain and do the job.
When Will Shikhar Dhawan Back in IPL?
Sanjay Bangar said that Shikhar Dhawan will need more time to completely recover from his shoulder injury. He actually said that the captain of PBKS would be unavailable for a minimum of 7-10 days. Based on the current schedule, it seems unlikely that Shikhar Dhawan will recover in time for their upcoming match against the Gujarat Titans. He is likely to play his next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 26.
Conclusion
Shikhar Dhawan, a crucial captain for the Punjab Kings team, will not be playing in the match against Mumbai Indians due to a shoulder injury. Sam Curran, an English all-rounder, will lead the team. PBKS head coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that Jitesh Sharma was not the chosen vice-captain and that Dhawan will need 7-10 days to recover from the injury. He is likely to play his next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 26.