In the middle of IPL 2023, Punjab Kings got the biggest blow as their captain was injured in the match against Hyderabad. Before the IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday, Punjab Kings will be praying for the fitness of their captain Shikhar Dhawan, as their batting department heavily relies on Shikhar Dhawan.
Shikhar Dhawan is carrying a shoulder injury and thus could not participate in the match against LSG. In place of Dhawan, England all-rounder Sam Curran took command, and Punjab won by two wickets at Ekana Stadium.
Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza has scored the most runs for Punjab. Apart from them, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh, and Shah Rukh Khan also contributed to the win.
Punjab’s top order relies heavily on Shikhar Dhawan, but his fitness is questionable, so his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh must play wisely. Punjab’s bowling, however, has been effective so far. Arshdeep Singh and Curran have led from the front, while South African pacer Kagiso Rabada has supported them.
On the other hand, RCB is running out of luck in this tournament and has lost two closely-fought encounters. Captain du Plessis and Virat Kohli perform brilliantly, providing their team with a blistering start. Glenn Maxwell has done well at number four, but apart from these three batsmen, none of the other batters, like Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Suyas Prabhudesia, are performing as per the team’s requirements.
Chasing a mammoth target of 226 for victory, du Plessis and Maxwell performed well, but the team lost by eight runs. Now the team is in eighth place with four points in five matches. They need some good victories to boost their morale.
