Punjab Kings Skipper Shikhar Dhawan Ruled Out of KKR Clash, Hopes for CSK Return
Punjab Kings’ skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, will miss the team’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. The team hopes to have him back for their next game against Chennai Super Kings on May 1.
Dhawan last played against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9 and has missed three matches since then. Sam Curran has stepped in as captain in his absence.
PBKS spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi said Dhawan is recovering and could return for the team’s next game in Chennai.
“He was in form and we really missed his batting services. We saw him batting yesterday, going through the nets and everything,” Joshi said on the eve of their match against KKR.
“He is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, he should be fit for the next game (against CSK),” he said.
PBKS have struggled as a batting unit and are ninth on the table with four points from eight matches.
Jitesh Sharma’s Struggles
Wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma has been a disappointment for PBKS in the ongoing IPL. Once considered a contender for India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, Sharma has scored just 128 runs from eight innings at an average of 16.00 and a strike rate of 125.49.
Joshi attributed Sharma’s struggles to the pressure of meeting expectations.
“Jitesh is a quality batter and we all know that the time has come for him to fire tomorrow. And yes, of course, there are multiple players in the whole IPL,” Joshi said.
“They are all eager to be in the T20 World Cup squad. But at times, most of the players are in that phase that (the thought of) making it to the Indian team will always keep haunting. So, it’s about focusing on basic, right things.”
Joshi said Sharma needs to focus on performing one ball at a time and not worry about the Indian team selection.
Pressure on KKR
Joshi believes the pressure will be on KKR to perform and win at home.
“We’ve come out of home. The pressure should be on the home team now so we can play freely and get runs,” he said.
