Punjab Kings (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin gave a comprehensive update on Shikhar Dhawan’s fitness ahead of the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He stated that the captain will undergo a fitness test and will be available for the final two matches.
Shikhar Dhawan has been the big miss of the Punjab Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024. The captain was 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 April 9 during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, he was out of action after that. The opening batsman is battling a shoulder injury and is still not fit to play. He missed six games for the team, leaving a huge void.
Shikhar Dhawan will also miss Punjab Kings’ next match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the league. The match between the teams will take place on Sunday (May 10) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
Brad Haddin said that Shikhar Dhawan is being assessed and they hope the batsman will play the last two games. He also spoke about how disappointing it was for them not to be able to avail all of Dhawan’s services. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
“Shikhar will be assessed and then hopefully we can have more positive news about him for the last few games. We will judge him when we reach Delhi. We keep our fingers crossed.”
“In any team you are a part of, it is disappointing to have to leave the oldest players for a long period of time. I don’t have to sit here and tell you about Shikhar’s record in the IPL. He is the most successful opener in this tournament.”
Our main focus was to make sure we were working on what we wanted from this game – Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin also added that they discussed what they need to do against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. He pointed out that they fell just short of expectations in the league. He talked about it and added:
“The discussion over the last few days has been about the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. If you look back at the last game we played, we were able to win the game. We had to chase runs at a rate of 160 and we couldn’t chase it.
“So yeah, our main focus was to make sure we worked on what we needed to achieve in this game and focused on that. There’s no point worrying about the next two after that unless we play well in this one.” he concluded.
The game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be extremely crucial for the Punjab Kings. If they lose the game, they are eliminated from the league.