PBKS vs RCB: Shikhar Dhawan to play against RCB? Brad Haddin comes up with 'fingers crossed' statement
Updated - 14 May 2024, 03:24 PM
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Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin provided a massive update about the fitness of Shikhar Dhawan ahead of the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He stated that the skipper will be undergoing a fitness test and will be available for the last two games.
Shikhar Dhawan has been the big miss for Punjab Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024. The captain has been out due to injury and in his absence, the team has lost some crucial games in the tournament and is fighting hard for the playoff spot in the league.
Shikhar Dhawan was last seen in action on 9th April during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, after that, he has been out of action. The opening batter has been dealing with a shoulder injury and still is unfit to play. He has missed 6 games for the team and it has left a massive void.
Shikhar Dhawan will also be missing the Punjab Kings' next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the league. The match between the teams will take place on Sunday (10th May) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
Brad Haddin said that Shikhar Dhawan will be assessed and they are hopeful that the batter will play the last two games. He also talked about how disappointing it has been for them to not utilise the full services of Dhawan. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
"Shikhar will be assessed and then hopefully we can have some more positive news on him for the last couple of games. We will assess him when we get to Delhi. Fingers crossed.
"In any team that you are a part of, it’s disappointing to leave your most senior players for extended periods. I do not have to sit here and tell you about Shikhar’s record in IPL. He’s the most successful opener in this tournament."
Our main focus has been making sure we work on what we needed to from that game - Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin also added that they have been discussing about things they need to do against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. He pointed out how they fell short by the barest margins in the league. Talking about the same, he added:
"The discussion over the last couple of days is about the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. If you look back to the last match we played, we got ourselves in a position to win the game. We had to chase 160-odd runs and we could not chase it down.
"So yeah, our main focus has been making sure we work on what we needed to from that game and concentrate on that. There’s no point worrying about the next two after this unless we play well in this one," he concluded.
The game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be extremely crucial for Punjab Kings. If they lose the game they will be knocked out of the league.
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