On Saturday night, Shikhar Dhawan was absent from the Royals game. In his absence, Sam Curran commanded the side.
Sanjay Bangar, the head of cricket development for Punjab Kings, stated following the team’s close loss to Rajasthan Royals that captain Shikhar Dhawan could be sidelined for at least seven to ten days due to a shoulder issue. Dhawan was not there for Saturday night’s matchup with the Royals. Without him, Sam Curran commanded the side. “He is probably going to be out for a few days at the very least due to a shoulder issue. It becomes vitally important for the squad to have a seasoned opener, such as Shikhar, who has played on such surfaces.
It will be necessary to wait and observe how the treatment affects him. During the news conference held after the game, Bangar stated, “It appears that he might be sidelined for a minimum of seven to ten days.”
A feverish Dhawan stayed back in Mullanpur, so Jitesh Sharma represented the squad at the captains’ meeting at the beginning of the season.
Bangar explained that they were always clear about the Englisman’s role in the side, and in light of that, Curran’s decision to walk out for the toss was unexpected.
The vice-captain position wasn’t assigned to him (Jitesh). His attendance at the captains’ seminar at the beginning of the IPL may have contributed to the impression.
However, the prevailing belief was that, since Sam had captained the squad the year before, we couldn’t send him to Chennai as he had arrived late from the UK and wanted to attend some training sessions. Because it was specified that a player must attend, Jitesh was dispatched.
Jitesh wasn’t acting as the team’s temporary captain. “We had a very clear understanding that Sam Curran would take the helm and lead the team if an opening was necessary,” the former India batting coach remarked.
Atharva Taide, Dhawan’s main backup for the game on Saturday, was likewise unable to muster much against the Royals.
Bangar concurred that it was a worry.
The fact that our top order isn’t producing enough runs for us is undoubtedly cause for concern. They are making a lot of effort—I’m not saying they’re not working hard—but the results are just not showing up.
Low-scoring matches, particularly at Mullanpur, have an impact in the wicket’s condition. Since some of the scores have been rather low, as you can see.”In the opening six overs of each of the three games we’ve played here, the wicket has a tendency to jag a little bit and to bounce unevenly. Therefore, it’s possible that this is also a factor because the visiting teams and their starting lineup are having problems in addition to us.”
