PBKS vs CSK: "Wicket was probably..." - Sam Curran blames Dharamsala pitch for Punjab Kings' defeat

Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) hosted the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala in the 53rd match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Sunday, May 5.

Punjab Kings elected to bowl first in the match and a brilliant performance from the hosts saw CSK being restricted to 167/9. The top performers in the bowling unit were Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel as they bagged three wickets each. The duo were supported very well by Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran, who shared 3 wickets between them.

Chasing the target, PBKS were off to a poor start but a 53-run partnership between Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh kept the run-chase on. However, once they got out Punjab Kings couldn't get going and were reduced to 139/9 in 20 overs to lose by 28 runs.

Speaking after the match, PBKS skipper Sam Curran expressed his satisfaction over the bowling performance of his team and gave a special shoutout to Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel. Sam Curran said:

"Thought we bowled really well. Rahul Chahar and Harshal bowled really well, was pretty happy at the halfway point but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be."

Sam Curran put the blame on the Dharamsala track for the defeat of his team in the match, saying that they expected the pitch to have more pace and bounce. Sam Curran said:

"The wicket was probably slower than we thought, we expected a little more pace and bounce, it was pretty similar throughout the game. Couple of days off and we go against RCB in a few days time so we need to move on and stay headstrong."

Punjab Kings All Set To Receive A Major Shikhar Dhawan Boost

PBKS have been missing the services of their original skipper Shikhar Dhawan for close to a month. The veteran left-handed batsman suffered a shoulder injury while fielding during the match against the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 9 at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh.

Before getting injured, Shikhar Dhawan had featured in five matches for Punjab Kings in the ongoing season. In those matches, he scored 152 runs with the best score of 70, an average of 30.40, and a strike rate of 125.62.

Meanwhile, PBKS are all set to receive a big boost as Dhawan's return date has been confirmed by the team’s bowling coach Sunil Joshi. He said that Dhawan's rehabilitation has been going well and the left-handed batsman will most likely return to the team for their last two group league fixtures of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Shikhar is undergoing rehab, he is doing well. He won’t be available for this game (against CSK) and we are monitoring him very closely. Hopefully, he should be back for the last two games,” Joshi said on Saturday.

Punjab Kings' last three matches are against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 9 in Dharamsala, against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 15 in Guwahati, and against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 19 in Hyderabad.

Read More: IPL 2024 Points Table